serpentine belt

[live4ball]

i was on the highway when i noticed my battery wasn't charging right. I thought that the amp might have draining the battery so i turned it off. The battery went back up and thought that was it. It drained again a few minutes later so i got off the highway for a faster way home. Soon after words i heard a loud squeaking sound like a loose belt and i lost my power steering. I immediately pulled over and turned off the car. After popping the hood, i saw that the serpentine belt had come off of one of the pulleys and i had a small leak in one of radiator hoses. The car had begun to overheat before i pulled over cuz the temp gauge read about 230. Has this happened to anybody else or does anyone know how this might have happened? Also am interested in seeing how much this will cost to fix. Any feedback is appreciated.

[jeremy96gase]

When my water pump died I lost power in the power stearing a little bit. Also lost all the antifreeze on to the ground. hehe.

[97 grand am gt]

nothing like has ever happened to me but when my water pump wenti did lose power stearing but it is easier to fix it yourself then to have someone charge u an arm and a leg . maybe the belt was worn a little and slipped off but it was easy to change the belt and the water pump

[wiccanferret]

I would guess your belt just got old and stretched and came off a pulley, whacking a radiator hose when it did. Those things move pretty quick. I'd replace the hose and the belt, and then watch it real close to see if a pulley caused it to go flying. Gatorback is the best belt.

[live4ball]

the belt tensioner blew
he had to drop the motor to replace it then fix the serpentine belt

it was parts of the tensioner that made a small whole in the hose

[mikem220153]

Drop the engine to change the tensioner?????

[minardi]

Sounds odd to me.

Since all it really involves is removing the motor mount.

I haven't figured out why the 3100 is designed so you must remove the engine mount to play with the serpentine belt.

If I recall, the Pre-95 3.1s didn't require you to remove the mount.

[mikem220153]

But you can get to the tensioner from the right wheel well. You don't have to remove the motor mount or drop the motor!

[tankspring]

:2up: 3.1 litres

Mine i had to replace the belt at 120,000km but it didnt break, although it looked like it was gonna go real soon. Dont have to drop then engine in a 97 though

[OSUfan96GASE]

That has happened to me twice both times i managed to turn the car off before any real damage set in... The first time that it happened i wasnt really sure what happened..... but the second time i saw what had happened my Lower passager side motor mount bolt came out... and my whole engine shifted to the pas. side and the top mount knock the belt off......

[Loopy]

Originally posted by tankspring
:2up: 3.1 litres

Mine i had to replace the belt at 120,000km but it didnt break, although it looked like it was gonna go real soon. Dont have to drop then engine in a 97 though

I know this thread is old, but I recently got a '97 GT, and am probably going to have to do the belt soon. How do you do it on this engine?

Loopy

[live4ball]

i was mistaken. all they had to do was remove the motor mount. I took it to a mechanic and had him do it. It cost about $200, but i got a new belt, tensioner, radiator hose, motor mount and a flush and fill so i think it was worth it. Plus i'm real lazy

[mikem220153]

Loopy;

Here is a document on how to change the belt. It is a microsoft word document.

[rixGAphx]

NAPA has a tensioner for not too many $$.

Replace at the same time as the belt, since that thing wears out, too.
It's an expensive PITA to hafta replace the tensioner AND belt two months after replacing the belt alone.

-Rick

[Loopy]

Cool. Thanks Mike!