Serpentine belt help

[timbro40]

I have a 1999 Montana and half of the belt has come off and I don't have the money right now to replace it How long can we drive our van before the rest of the belt breaks I would have to go til atleast wednesday before i could possibly get it to a shop

[Airjer_]

There is no way to determine how long it will last. Could be ten minutes could be three years.

There are some clues that will let you know when to stop driving. The first thing you should notice after the belt finally falls all the way off is that the battery light will come on. Next you will notice there is no longer any power steering, and then you should notice that the temp gauge is starting to climb.

I recommend shutting the vehicle off before you overheat it. A couple thousand dollars to fix the damage done that could have been prevented by a couple hundred dollar repair would be way worse that the situation your in know.

[mhall02]

Half off? You mean the belt split in half? It's pretty easy to replace the belt, they are only ~$35 for a Goodyear Gatorback serpentine belt from Autozone and only requires a 3/8" ratchet to take the tension off the tensioner. Thread it back on as indicated on the diagram under your hood. If you do it yourself, save the water pump pulley as the last when your putting it back on. After threading all of the other pulleys, take the tension off and push it under this pulley and your done. I would be very hesitant to drive it too far, but watch for the symptoms Airjer described.

[wormfriskie]

I had my idler pulley bust about 30 miles from my house, and I consider myself lucky to have made it home. Your battery recharges from the belt, your a/c runs off the belt, and also power steering. I would recommend spending the 20 - 40 bucks on a new belt, it takes only minutes to fix, and a lot of auto parts stores will walk you through how to do it. You don't want to be stranded for something this simple.

[Airjer_]

If half the belt has come off there are other issues than just the belt. Maybe a bad tensioner or some other accessory pulley causing the belt to wonder? It may not be as simple as just a belt!