serpentine belt broke, how far can i drive it?

redbox · #1 10-23-2005, 09:30 PM

The serpentine belt broke in my 97 escort. I was only 2 blocks from home, so I drove it on in. The nearest repair shop is about 5 miles away. Can I drive it that far? My battery light is on and the power steering isn't working. Could it die along the way?

OR, is a serpentine belt easy enough for a novice to replace?

thanks

zx2srdotnet · #2 10-23-2005, 11:07 PM

well the serpentine is what powers the alt, and power stearing, a/c, the belt isnt hard maybe 1hr for a very 1st timer, just make sure you put the belt on right and your good to go.

AzTumbleweed · #3 10-24-2005, 06:36 AM

You should be able to drive it to the shop with no problem as long as your battery is good.

chevyn0va1 · #4 10-24-2005, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redbox

The serpentine belt broke in my 97 escort. I was only 2 blocks from home, so I drove it on in. The nearest repair shop is about 5 miles away. Can I drive it that far? My battery light is on and the power steering isn't working. Could it die along the way?

OR, is a serpentine belt easy enough for a novice to replace?

thanks

super easy all you need is a 3/8 breaker bar to hold the tensionor out of the way and then take the old one off (if its not already in your case) and re-route the new one when finished release the tensionor. Autozone.com has a how to if you want more info but thats all it is really. I personallly when I did my car found it easy to remove the tire and splash shield so I could see and make sure all was well and everything was lined up. (I had air tools) took all but an hour.(but im slow)

Bearcat55 · #5 10-24-2005, 01:00 PM

Driving it that distance probably will not create any immediate problems with one possible exception; some power steering units get really unhappy when they are forced to work without the pump turning. At the least the fluid can back up into the reservoir & overflow it- even popping the cap off (been there, done that). I've more than once heard of greater damage happening from attempting this. I messed up my Ranger a little just by just turning while coasting after the engine stalled. Made a mess & took awhile to work the air out of the system. I hear power steering seals can get blown doing this as well.

Depending where the car is parked it might or might not be worth it- I'd drive it rather than leave it in a bad part of town overnight for example. But if you have it home- why not just fix it there?

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