There are very many things that people do for their cars but hardly do they check the drive belt of the car. It is a very important part of the routine check and maintenance. This is because it runs the water pump, alternator, air conditioner, power steering, in addition to the cooling fan. It is normal for a belt to last up to 50,000 miles. It is time to change it if it is frayed, torn, brittle, or worn out. This is to avoid the belt breaking... next thing you your car breaks down and you are at the side of the road.
There are steps to follow when going about the business of the belt of the car. With the engine turned off, you ought to check the belt. You should be able to see the whole length of the belt immediately; if not you might have to bump the ignition switch. This makes it clear to see all the sections. Next you check the entire exterior length of the belt to see if it has any cracks or tears. Next it is advisable use your hands to examine the internal side of the belt. It should be supple and very flexible. If the belt is shiny and hard then that means that the belt is brittle and, unfortunately, old. This means it is time to change the belt... even though you may see no more signs. Since the belt is long, it is advisable to carefully inspect the belt section by section.
The belts have treads across the base to help grasp the pulleys. You should look for cracks, areas where the trend is worn out, and frayed spots. All these are signs of trouble; they are not easy to detect but carefully and closely perform this check. These are indicators that the belt could either fail or slip. Some vehicles have just one belt and some have two belts... ensure you check your model of car.
It is important to check the belt and replace it immediately. This leads to trouble with other parts of your car can malfunction. Regular checks are very vital. You should change it immediately should you suspect damage. It is not wise to rely on oil change repair centers to check the belt. A business or a garage has to be equipped and experienced to detect problems with the belt. Assumptions are not good. Without experienced supervision, an oil repair center may not even have checking your belt as part of their checklist. And if you have the right information and background, you do not always have to get an auto mechanic to tighten, check, and replace the drive belt. It is possible to check all the above by yourself.
There are precautions should you decide to do this yourself. The first is that the engine should be off. This prevents injury of getting your hands caught. The second thing is that you should never work around the electric fan when the engine is not totally cool. In order to be very sure that the fan will not engage, it is better to disconnect it before doing the belt check. Your safety is everything!
