Reasons for Failure of an Accessory Drive Belt

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Reasons for Failure of an Accessory Drive Belt
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The engine's accessory drive belt does a lot of
work as it had to connect several spinning
pulleys in the engine.
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It has to function quickly enough to power
important components like the alternator, the
water pump, and the power steering pump.
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The drive belt must do all of this while dealing
with under-hood heat, rain and rocks being kicked
up from under the car and the constant strain of
being in motion.
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Lets take a look at the most common reasons for
the failure of an accessory drive belt.
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Heat
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Continuous exposure to high temperatures and the
stress of bending around the pulleys leads to
cracking.
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The rubber used to manufacture this belt is
designed to resist heat as best it can, but over
a long enough period, it will eventually dry out
and begin to crack.
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Misalignment
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Generally, misalignment occurs in case of a new
belt on worn pulley and lack of tension or a
combination of these factors.
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It leads to piling which makes the belt material
wear off from the ribs and builds up in the belt
grooves.
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Foreign object
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Any foreign particle such as a pebble in the
pulley will cause uneven wear and can cut into
the belt and break the tensile cords.
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This problem mainly occurs in the cars which do
not have a proper engine protection shield and
the belt gets uneven rib wear.
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Oil
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The oil and grease are the worst enemies of a
rubber belt as they weaken the compound's bonds
and makes the belt soft and spongy.
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This can be irritating to the point of having to
replace the belt because its not always easy to
clean off antifreeze once its embedded in the
belt itself.
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How to detect a bad belt?
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The best way to determine when your belt needs to
be replaced is by way of a visual inspection that
checks for cracks, wear and fraying at least once
a year.
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Listen for squealing sounds that indicate the
belt is slipping as the belt isnt gripping the
pulleys as tightly as it needs to.
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Also, look for any dips in alternator output such
as dimming lights or a warning light of charge on
the dashboard.
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In order to avoid any problems due to the
accessory drive belt, make sure to check them
annually and replace them before they wear out.
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