A serpentine belt runs everything. In West Texas heat it ages faster than the interval assumes, and it fails without much warning.
A serpentine belt costs very little and drives the alternator, the water pump on many engines, the power steering and the air conditioning compressor. When it goes, you lose charging, cooling and steering assistance more or less at once.
Heat ages rubber
Under-hood temperatures in a West Texas summer are extreme, and rubber components age on heat exposure as much as on mileage. A belt or hose on a vehicle that spends July idling in the sun is older than its odometer suggests.
What to look for on a belt
- Cracking across the ribs. A few small cracks are normal on an EPDM belt; multiple cracks in the same rib section are not.
- Missing chunks of rib material.
- Glazing — a shiny, hard surface, which means it has been slipping.
- Fraying at the edges, which usually means misalignment rather than age.
- Squealing, particularly on start-up or under load with the A/C on.
The tensioner is part of the system
A belt runs on a spring-loaded tensioner, and that spring weakens. A worn tensioner lets the belt slip, which glazes it and generates heat. Replacing a belt without checking the tensioner is a common way to be back in six months.
Hoses
Squeeze a cooling hose when the engine is cold. It should be firm and springy. Mushy means it is degrading internally, and rock hard or brittle means it has aged out. Both are on their way to a failure, and a coolant hose failing at speed empties the system in seconds.
Look also at the ends near the clamps, which is where most hoses fail, and for any white or crusty residue indicating a slow leak.
Carry water
On a two-lane road in this part of the state, the gap between a small problem and a serious one is frequently just how long you are stood on the shoulder. Water for the people in the vehicle matters more than water for the radiator.
We inspect belts, hoses and tensioners as part of any on-site service call.
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