La auxiliary or accessory belt It is the one that transmits the movement of the crank pulley to various components of the car. Many of them are of vital importance such as the Alternator that loads the battery and power steering. others like the air conditioner, they are not essential but we would miss them if they stopped working.
As you can see, the auxiliary strap is what gives life to the car. Without it, only the motor would work, as long as the battery that starts it has enough charge beforehand. Furthermore, if we dared to drive it ignoring the engine failure warnings, it could be a very complicated and dangerous task due to the difficulty it would have to move the steering wheel.
What is the auxiliary belt?
A car engine has various straps: the Timing belt, the fan belt, the auxiliary belt… Each one has a completely different function that it is convenient to know so that a neophyte can tell them apart.
Do not confuse the auxiliary belt with the Timing belt . Because the latter is in charge of coordinating the engine so that it can work perfectly. Thanks to her camshaft and therefore the Válvulas and injectors work in accordance with the crankshaft and therefore with pistons. This strap is much more important than the auxiliary strap.
As we have mentioned, the auxiliary strap it gives energy by transmitting the movement of the crankshaft pulley to various vital “organs” of the car. It is easy to recognize because it will go inevitably to the alternator and to the electric steering pump or motor. In addition, it is usually somewhat narrower and thinner than the timing belt.
Meanwhile the fan belt can't be so easily misled, because it is the one that moves the fan that cools the radiator when it does not have enough air flow through the grill. So it's away from the engine block itself.
What happens if the auxiliary belt is damaged?
Auxiliary belt slack
Fortunately, the auxiliary strap It does not usually break without first giving many warnings. The first symptom that something is wrong is the typical high pitched chirp that cause the straps when skating. The problem in this case is that it has loosened a bit over the years.
In this situation, in addition to the annoying noise, it can also happen that alternator not charging properlyOr this not enough power to any of the components mentioned above. So in addition to the warning light that will almost certainly appear on the instrument panel, it would not be unusual for you to notice some abnormal behavior of the electrical systems. At the beginning of this video you can see how check if the alternator charges the battery with a multimeter:
The solution for this problem is very simple, just tighten the strap a little in case it is possible. Another solution is apply a spray for straps, with which we can also eliminate the noise if it is not very loose, although this spray normally eliminates the noise temporarily.
broken auxiliary belt
If it reaches the point where the pulley breaks, we will notice all the symptoms that we mentioned at the beginning of the article. However, the fault can become much more serious if, when released part of the strap is inserted through the hole of the crankshaft pulley. If this happens, you can make timing belt breaks, severely damaging the engine.
That is why it is advisable to turn off the engine as soon as you notice the problem. Something that not everyone does, because when the strap breaks they dare to go to a workshop while driving the car. Instead of doing this, call your insurance and ask for the crane Service because it will probably be free according to the conditions.
In order not to reach these extremes, it is advisable take a look at the strap from time to time to see if you are cracked o cracked. At which point it should be changed as soon as possible.
Broken pulley rubber
Many times, the problem is not the belt itself, but rather the crank pulley that moves her, the one in bad condition. this pulley, also called damper, is made of metal, but has a rubber or rubber part that absorbs vibrations. When this soft ring breaks, what is usually heard instead of the squeak is a metallic noise of something turning.
When should it be changed?
The accessory strap it can last as long as the same car or have to be changed several times during its useful life. It all depends on the type of use given to the vehicle and the temperatures at which it works. Therefore, giving you a number of kilometers traveled would not be useful in practice.
Instead we are going to give you some notions so you know when it's time to change it. In a car with a seniority less than 10 years the probability that this element is damaged is negligible. Only in cars of a certain age can it be a possible breakdown that should be monitored.
At this point, the best thing to do is visually check auxiliary belt. If you see that it is already cracked or cracked, you should change it as soon as possible. The price of the piece itself is low, between 20 or 30 euros, and in a workshop the price of labor should not be too high since it is an operation that in normal models usually takes less than an hour.
Auxiliary belt tensioner
As we have mentioned before, the auxiliary belt can loosen and start to squeak. This was especially the case on older models where the belt tensioner was manually adjusted. However, currently cars have a automatic tensioner It adjusts itself as needed.
If it is the automatic tensioner itself that has failed, it is not a particularly expensive piece either. Its price is between 20 and 40 euros depending on the brand and model. In addition, installing it does not increase the time spent in a workshop too much.
Images 3 and 5 – 3ndymion, Arkangel
What can be the problem of the car that when the service belt gets wet and only if the air conditioner turns on page the belt
I have an opel astra TD from the year 98 68 horses and I have a problem that the auxiliary belt does not last me at all the one that lasts me the longest is about 9000 km I do not know what problem it could have I would like you to help me thank you very much
The material is excellent. very didactic. It mainly helps to take care of the vehicle. Thank you.