Help! Accessory Drive belt installation

Hi..

forgive the lack of knowlegde on my part.. but I'm in need of help. On the way to work today my 90 firebird became hard to steer, almost impossible. Now I really dont know engines at all.. but I took a look under the hood and it 'appears' that the accessory drive belt is gone!

Would the lack of such a belt result in me not being able to steer?

Also, is it hard to install a new belt. Is it something that I will need to take my car to a shop for or can you do it at home so to speak.

Any help is appreciated .. thank you

Yes, the accessory belt missing will cause the car to steer hard. The power steering pump is driven by the belt and thus it would be the same as shutting you engine off and trying to turn a corner.

Anyone can install a new belt as long as you pay attention to a few things.

First, you must know how to route the belt around the pulleys. Which direction each item turns is very important. There should be a drawing under the hood that shows the routing of the belt.

Also important is the make sure the belt is all the way on each pulley or it may damage the belt, or cause the belt to come off and then you will get to reinstall it.

There is also a belt tensioner that you can put a wrench on to allow you to get the belt on and then when you release the tensioner, the belt will become tight and not slip.

If you really want to do this yourself and don't have a friend that could help show you what is up, the parts store where you buy the belt may be willing to help you out. Just ask.

Make sure you do check the fluid level of your power steering pump. The power steering pump might have locked up or something and shred the belt.