Serpentine Belt Came Off

[nonexistent]

Hello. This car is starting to be trouble. I was accelerating in the highway and all of a sudden I heard a muffled bang, lost power steering, Alternator alert came on, Engine temp high came on and I managed to finally pull over. Now the question: Is it bad? It's currently getting towed to the dealer's service dept. What are the possible damages that could've came up from that belt coming off. I had to drive about 1/4-1/2 mile to get to the shoulder as I was in the far left lane in a busy NY highway. Please help, thanks!

[TailG8er]

Check the crank pulley, see if it wobbles when the engine is running. If it is not that it is the Holden front end conversion and I will take that problem off your hands :)

[nonexistent]

LOL I wish it was that easy. I am actually not near the car, I went to work and the car went to the dealership. And also, I honestly wouldn't know which pulley the crank pulley is.

[Crazy Paul]

18868

[texn884]

What is the squiggly line? Never seen that on my engine, LOL

[nonexistent]

I will check or maybe call the dealer and see what they say. What does a wobbling Crank Pulley mean?

[Executor999]

I had this happen to my 98 Grand Prix GTP (stock super charger) while driving on the highway. The super charge pulley had fallen off! Luckily no additional damage other than the belt and the pulley.

[TailG8er]

I will check or maybe call the dealer and see what they say. What does a wobbling Crank Pulley mean?

It means it needs to be replaced. Idler pulley could have come off too.

They should be able to find the problem pretty easily.

[Crazy Paul]

Another likely suspect is the Main Belt Tensioner.
They wear out and lose their ability to put enough tension on the belt after several years hard work.

18886

[todds87ss]

yep, you have a crank pulley, tensioner pulley, or idler pully failure. Since you are not versed in which is which, I'm sure a reputable shop will steer you in the right direction.

[GM Customer Service]

Any news, nonexistent? We hope that there is a resolution in sight for you!

Sarah, GM Customer Care

[Oldtimer]

yep, you have a crank pulley, tensioner pulley, or idler pully failure. Since you are not versed in which is which, I'm sure a reputable shop will steer you in the right direction.

I just had a similar issue, only mine was manifested by the a/c instantaneously not cooling. Took it in, and the initial diagnosis was that the harmonic balancer had failed (the rubber doughnut had deteriorated). The follow-up was that bolt that holds the balancer to the crank was missing (okay, how do you know that the rubber had deteriorated and not even notice that the bolt's not there?), with a subsequent diagnosis that the wobbling outer ring had set up enough of a vibration that it allowed the bolt to back out.

$600 later, no problems! This includes a new balancer, new bolt, and two new belts as the balancer serves as the pulley for the a/c belt, and it kept spinning around and took the inner rib off the drive belt (both belts were only about 90 days old).

Welcome to the club!

How many miles (OP) do you have on yours?

[nonexistent]

Hi Guys! Here's the update: car still in shop and harmonic balancer has been pinpointed as the issue. They said it was wobbling about 3-5 mm? Now they're just waiting for a replacement belt and the car should be back to me Monday afternoon.

Oldtimer -
I have about 46K miles on her and she's just about out of powertrain warranty (turning 5 this July). That's great news that yours got fixed. Hopefully, the same goes for me and everything turns out well!

[Oldtimer]

Hi Guys! Here's the update: car still in shop and harmonic balancer has been pinpointed as the issue. They said it was wobbling about 3-5 mm? Now they're just waiting for a replacement belt and the car should be back to me Monday afternoon.

Oldtimer -
I have about 46K miles on her and she's just about out of powertrain warranty (turning 5 this July). That's great news that yours got fixed. Hopefully, the same goes for me and everything turns out well!

Well mine lasted to 102K, just out of the extended warranty I had purchased. Since I've got 2, mine's going to be parked, and I'll be driving my wife's until I trade off mine for something a little more reliable. This is close to $2000 in one month that I've spent on items that might have been under warranty if they had happened a little sooner. I'm almost wondering if there things don't have a little bit of Yugo in them.

[nonexistent]

Hello again! So the car's been back for a couple of weeks now. I think she's okay, but I've been a little hesitant to give her a 100% go. I've noticed that sometimes, the car feels sluggish. (Maybe I'm not pushing down on the pedal enough LOL). Also, now that I know what the crank puller/harmonic balancer is (Thanks CP), I noticed that it's still wobbly. There's also one more pulley? that looks wobbly, it's the big one on the top right based on his pic on the first page. Above what I'm guessing is the alternator? What does that pulley do?

[-Ray-]

The pulley you are talking about is the power steering pump pulley. The alternator is underneath.

[EcoBrick Bob]

Crazy Paul has the squiggley lines for the front of your engine for $99.00 shipped. He told me that they come standard in Australia.

[TailG8er]

Crazy Paul has the squiggley lines for the front of your engine for $99.00 shipped. He told me that they come standard in Australia.

They help keep the Roo's off your windshield from what I was told. That is why we don't need em.

[Crazy Paul]

How's your knowledge on antipodean arachnids?

[nonexistent]

I saw a show once, with a list of 10 dangerous animals/insects. About 4 of them were from Australia. This is probably why they need such things that we have no need for!

On the note of my belt issue: is it safe to continue on? I have a roadtrip due in 2 weeks. 10 hours drive each way to Ohio and back. Don't want to be stranded lol.

[Crazy Paul]

On the note of my belt issue: is it safe to continue on? I have a roadtrip due in 2 weeks. 10 hours drive each way to Ohio and back. Don't want to be stranded lol.
2 weeks is plenty of time to get yourself a spare serpentine belt and a 15mm wrench and stow them in the car.
A great idea would be to practice taking your existing belt on an off before your trip. It's a 2 minute job everytime after your first fumbling attempt.

Here's how: http://forum.grrrr8.net/showthread.php?t=30200&p=486170&viewfull=1#post486170

[nonexistent]

A great idea would be to practice taking your existing belt on an off before your trip. It's a 2 minute job everytime after your first fumbling attempt.

Here's how: http://forum.grrrr8.net/showthread.php?t=30200&p=486170&viewfull=1#post486170

I'll be giving this fix a try. So even if the balancer is wobbly and the belt would slip off again, it'll be okay as long as I keep putting it back on? I don't want any long term damage. Definitely appreciate the help. Thanks CP!

[Crazy Paul]

I'll be giving this fix a try. So even if the balancer is wobbly and the belt would slip off again, it'll be okay as long as I keep putting it back on? I don't want any long term damage.

The proper solution is to get everything fixed before you do a long journey.
I'm just suggesting that if you head off with a known problem then be fully prepared with a part and a tool to get you out of trouble.
Everytime the belt comes off you risk further damage....it can take out a cam sensor, a tensioner, wiring, or in worst case cook your engine.

[nonexistent]

The proper solution is to get everything fixed before you do a long journey.
I'm just suggesting that if you head off with a known problem then be fully prepared with a part and a tool to get you out of trouble.
Everytime the belt comes off you risk further damage....it can take out a cam sensor, a tensioner, wiring, or in worst case cook your engine.

Definitely good points. Is there an aftermarket solution to this? If the stock one goes bad again, I don't want to continue going back to the dealer and get charged out the butt for labor (NYC dealer labor rate is 135/hr). CP, you've been a great help!