BY BENJAMIN HUNTING / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 23, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Your engine’s accessory drive belt is tasked with a lot of responsibility.&hellip;{"id":10002,"date":"2017-08-28T10:45:10","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T17:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=10002"},"modified":"2017-09-12T10:23:26","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T17:23:26","slug":"why-does-an-accessory-drive-belt-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/28\/why-does-an-accessory-drive-belt-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does an Accessory Drive Belt Fail?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BY BENJAMIN HUNTING \/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 23, 2017\u00a0\/\u00a0NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION \/<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your engine\u2019s accessory drive belt is tasked with a lot of responsibility. Not only does it have to\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/know-notes-change-serpentine-belt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">connect several spinning pulleys<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">at the front of your motor and keep them moving quickly enough to power important components like the alternator, the water pump and the power steering pump, but it also has to do so in weather that ranges from 20 degrees below zero to a scorching 120 degrees. The drive belt must do all of this while dealing with under-hood heat, rain and rocks being kicked up from under the car and the constant strain of being in motion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It\u2019s understandable, then, that no\u00a0belt\u00a0lasts forever. Let\u2019s take a look at the most common reasons this crucial engine part fails.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Heat Is the Enemy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As hot as it might get outside, you can bet that it\u2019s significantly more toasty under the hood of your car. With all of the engine heat that\u2019s being thrown off while you drive, and not a lot of ventilation, the drive belt (sometimes known as the<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/p\/NBG25081362?cid=social_blog_072017_drivebelt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">serpentine belt<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">due to how some belts\u00a0snake through all of the pulleys) is essentially baked alive with each passing mile. The rubber used to manufacture this belt is designed to resist heat as best it can, but over a long enough period, it will eventually dry out and begin to crack.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Friction Takes Its Toll<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Friction is the next most common drive-belt killer. Since it\u2019s always in motion, the belt itself is constantly rubbing up against the pulleys it runs on, and this can eventually cause a belt\u00a0to fray \u2014 especially at the edges. A fraying belt is weaker than it was designed to be, which makes it more likely to snap or stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Exposure to Coolant<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have you ever spilled engine coolant under the hood? Make sure you didn\u2019t get any on your belt, because it\u2019s a surefire way to make it start squealing. This can be irritating to the point of having to replace the belt, because it\u2019s not always easy to clean off antifreeze once it\u2019s embedded in the belt itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Keep an Eye on It<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The best way to determine when your belt needs to be replaced is by way of a visual inspection that checks for cracks, wear and fraying at least once a year. You can also listen for squealing sounds that indicate the belt is slipping or watch for any dips in alternator output (such as dimming lights or a charge system message) that could mean the belt isn\u2019t gripping the pulleys as tightly as it needs to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Drive belts do a lot of hard work for your vehicle. Make sure to check them annually and replace them before they wear out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check out all the<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/c\/belts-hoses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">belts and hoses<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0available on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1501695836713000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFnxYpPU7QhUQrpCiKq_YvPNrGlKA\">NAPA Online<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">or visit one of their 17,000<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1501695836713000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHyas20adcix3EGLbzbwsie7_RMrA\">NAPA AutoCare locations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on drive belts, chat with a knowledgeable expert at a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/store-locator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/store-locator&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1501695836713000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGtO7UCz55uyhwoXUDauwwz9FUlcA\"><strong>local NAPA AUTO PARTS store<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Photo Credit:<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/morguefile.com\/p\/920521\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>DSC00034-B<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">by<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/morguefile.com\/creative\/DodgertonSkillhause\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DodgertonSkillhause<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.\u00a0<\/span>(<a href=\"https:\/\/morguefile.com\/terms#license\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Morguefile License<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><strong><i><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/i><\/strong><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0from NAPA, or here for more information on\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/car-show-hours-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":10003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[805],"tags":[5843,5845,5852,5851,5830,3342,5846,5842,5847,5853,3491,3037,3026,5844,5671,5848,5849,5850],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/DSC00034-B.jpg?fit=4608%2C3456&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9nnZN-2Bk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10002"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10002"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10033,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10002\/revisions\/10033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}