Serpentine Belt

Question

My mechanic said I need a new serpentine belt but I don't see any cracks in it. Does it really need to be replaced?

Winners Circle Tire and Auto Answer:
I appreciate your concern. Old style neoprene belts would crack with age, making it pretty obvious to Cresco citizens when they needed to be replaced. Nowadays, serpentine belts are made from a different material that doesn't necessarily crack or glaze the way neoprene did but do stretch more instead.

Stepping back, the serpentine belt transfers power from the engine to various accessories like the alternator, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor - even the power brakes and water pump on some vehicles. Modern serpentine belts have several grooves running their length. These grooves mate with the pulleys on the accessories. When the belt is within its useful life, it spins the accessories at the designed speed.

Over time, belt material is worn away. When as little as 5% of the material is lost, the belt can slip and not properly spin the accessories leading to stress and damage.

Your friendly and knowledgeable Technician at Winners Circle Tire and Auto can check and see the condition of your serpentine belt and will indicate if it needs to be replaced.

It's for Cresco drivers to understand that the serpentine belt is part of the accessory belt drive system which also includes the serpentine belt tensioner and any idler pulleys. The belt tensioner has the same service life as the belt itself, so if it is time to replace the belt, you should also replace the tensioner and idler pulleys as well.

A worn belt tensioner can cause belt slip and enough belt-slap to really hammer the accessory upstream from the tensioner. Running too long with a worn belt, tensioner or idler pulleys causes excessive heat at the accessory pulleys, resulting in inefficiency, damage and premature replacement.

Winners Circle Tire and Auto in Cresco can perform tests to see if your belt or tensioner is worn and should be replaced. Ask your if it's time for a serpentine belt system replacement.

Give us a call.

Winners Circle Tire and Auto
6545 Route 191
Cresco, Pennsylvania 18326
570-595-0488
https://www.winnerscirclepocono.com/