belt snapped

tstang21 · Nov 28, 2008

post thanksgiving problem. i was driving back from dinner and my battery light came on and then the steering wasnt turning easily. i started hearing some noises, so i pulled over to shut off my car. i let it cool for a few minutes, checked around and then cranked it up. while i was driving, my temp needle was going up to red . shut it off then cranked it up. i drove approx miles and then my belt snapped. finally i shut it off. there was coolant that splashed out a bit. i called a tow truck. now i figuring acoarse the problem most likely my belt. im hoping that its not the headgasket since i didnt drive a certain distance. any input or experiences ?

mhespenh · Nov 28, 2008

EDIT: Oh, shoot- I misread that - I thought you said it just threw the belt. If it snapped then yea, its probably (hopefully) just the belt, and like everyone else said, just double check your accessories.

Hah, just ignore me

Preserved for integrity:
Without looking at the car, my first guess would be that your water pump crapped out. Happened to my girlfriend in a very similar fashion a few weeks ago, although the fan tore her radiator apart when it went out too (old school style radiator fan attached directly to the water pump)

Hope that's it, easy fix. Good luck!

BlownFiveLiter · Nov 28, 2008

Could be any one of your accessories has locked up. See if they'll all turn freely by hand, and if so, I'd feel comfortable with just tossing a new belt on. My vote goes with the air pump, if any have crapped out.

desertcox05 · Nov 28, 2008

don't forget the idler pulley too. turn all the accessories by hand slowly, if there is any binding or the pulley feels notchy. the power steering might feel a little notchy but that's ok but nooo binding.

hollywoodstang · Nov 28, 2008

"there was coolant that splashed out a bit."

I would be more worry for this one.

tstang21 · Nov 28, 2008

i just checked my oil and its fine. no coolant went inside and it didnt have a "milky" look. with the coolant going out, i think that it was getting steamed up from the radiator causing a little splash. i checked the hoses and they are fine. just hoping now that my wp didnt go out

cbarr300 · Nov 28, 2008

either your belt was worn and snapped because of the wear..or an acc. locked up.

As others have stated before me, spin each pulley my hand. They should all spin fairly easily. If not then you have a problem you need to fix.

More than likely the belt was just old and shredded.

as to the coolant that splashed out a bit...that'll happen if it gets too hot. Your water pump wasn't turning so it just let that temp jump up and up and the water had to go somewhere

hollywoodstang · Nov 28, 2008

cbarr300 said:
either your belt was worn and snapped because of the wear..or an acc. locked up.

As others have stated before me, spin each pulley my hand. They should all spin fairly easily. If not then you have a problem you need to fix.

More than likely the belt was just old and shredded.

as to the coolant that splashed out a bit...that'll happen if it gets too hot. Your water pump wasn't turning so it just let that temp jump up and up and the water had to go somewhere

You are so helpful would you be my friend?

cbarr300 · Nov 28, 2008

I do what I can

There are others here with much better info than myself

I'm just a dumb 20 year old

tstang21 · Nov 28, 2008

thanks. thats what happened. my belt was worn out but i didnt change it when i installed the pulleys. thought it would hold out a bit longer. i checked the hoses and everything seems fine. ill but some water wetter and 50/50 antifreeze. now i can route around the smog pump as well in which i didnt do the first time ( dont ask me why). the pulleys spin fine. at least my headgasket is fine. i checked my oil again to see if its mikly and its not. i heard that headgaskets dont go out easily on our motors only if its extremely hot, high boost or running really lean. oh BTW, it was making a weird loud squealing noise when it first started.

tstang21 · Nov 28, 2008

also would the coolant come from the resevoir itself ? im just really curious and i need to get my car back on the road. this is my daily. i drove less than 2 miles when this occured.

cbarr300 · Nov 29, 2008

Look at the neck of the reservoir..right below the black cap. You will see a vent hole in the neck. As your coolant gets hotter it expands. Your coolant system can only hold so much water before it can't hold anymore. Since your system is already filled up...once the liquid starts expanding it only makes sense that it'll take up more space..which isn't there. Soooo, it comes out the easiest area. That might be a hose blowing up, water seeping out by the hose clamps, water coming out the vent, etc...

Think of it like this...you know how you have a hot and a cold fill level on the reservoir? Welll, the hot fill level is higher because of this expansion. I wouldn't worry too much about the headgasket unless you beat on it while it was hot...these are pretty tough little motors.

That loud squealing could be a couple things. Either it was just your belts last breath...or the belt was rubbing on a locked up pulley...you said the belt was worn last time you checked and that the pulleys seemed fine.....so I'd say throw a new belt on there and keep on keeping on.

tstang21 · Nov 29, 2008

thanks. i was getting all freaked out when i was driving this thing thinking i would have to get a new motor. that could be the reason the coolant went out. i didnt beat on when it was hot but at the sametime didnt go a long distance including shutting it off at the light. it was reaching to"H". it still cranked. good thing it was a cold night. actually what realized is that the smog pump most likely seized up the belt. i turned the pulley and it was hard to turn. im going bypass that bastard. any diagram or what size belt i should get ? i did the shoes lace method but some input.

cbarr300 · Nov 29, 2008

If the smog pumps getting hard to turn and you don't use it...get rid of that thing. I'm not running a smog pump, but my belt size would be different than yours since I have a vortech bracket that repositions the alternator. Do a search for "Delete" and you should see a thread or two that has the size belt. Or go to mustang-tech.org. I think they might have it somewhere in there.

I'd say you're good on the headgasket issue. These motors run hot from the factory anyhow. As long as you didn't run it for long while it was in the "H." If it didn't reach the "H" then you're def in the clear.

good luck on it...I'd say it's nothing major...just a belt that shredded

tstang21 · Nov 29, 2008

i just did a quick check up on the motor before i hit the store. the oil is fine as i felt/smelled it. no leaks especially where the heads are. there is a vent hole bottom of the cap. thats where the coolant most likely seeped out in the front. nothing really what i could see thats damage. the hoses seem fine. i know radiator has to be empty. remember, i stopped for a few minutes to let it cool off before it "H"

cbarr300 · Nov 29, 2008

yeah, you're in the clear on that one. Good job paying attention to the gauges

tstang21 · Nov 29, 2008

problem fixed. i bypassed the smog with a 89" belt. no smoke coming from the pipes and the headgasket is fine. i looked at my temp and the fan kicks on normally. i put in some 50/75 water. now the thing is that i need a new tensioner soon.

tstang21 · Nov 30, 2008

my tensioner seems to move a bit. im deciding either i should replace it or get 88.5 belt. the belt that i have on now (89) has a tiny bit of slack like it needs to be tighten down more. also, i hear a clicking noise from what it seems to be the tensioner reaching its stop.

cbarr300 · Nov 30, 2008

just get a tighter belt and you should be good. Orrrrr, you could get a smog delete pulley. I believe that would be your best bet as you would still get proper belt wrap on the alternator. The tensioner would love you for it, too.

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