You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your
engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The serpentine belt is driven by the engine as it turns.
It powers
your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water
pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it?
If your serpentine belt were to break on one of our Streetsboro, Ohio roads, your battery would die in a few miles. If it
runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously,
the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks.
INSET VIDEO - Your
vehicle won't run if the serpentine belt breaks
20 percent of vehicles on the road today need a
serpentine belt replacement. A worn belt can not only break without warning, it can slip
and damage important engine accessories. Have your belt inspected and replace it if it is
worn or damaged. You'll be glad you did. At Jimyz Automotive in Streetsboro Ohio we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call and let us help
keep you safely and economically on the road.
Check your owner’s manual for when factory maintenance is
recommended for you belts and hoses, and/or the interval recommended to replace your serpentine belt – or just ask
your Jimyz Automotive service advisor for assistance. He can inspect the belt as well to
see if it’s in trouble.
You may have been told by a service advisor in
Streetsboro, OH. to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be
replaced. Of course, cracking is still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did.
What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool at Jimyz Automotive that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing.
A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.
INSET VIDEO
-
A worn, loose, or misaligned belt stresses accessories
Above is a silent animation video showing key
components that rely on the serpentine belt, such as the power steering pump, alternator
and A/C Compressor. The
belt tensioner will also be checked for wear by our technicians along with the belt
itself. Other components such as a decoupler pulley on the alternator, and any tension
idler pulleys will be checked for seizing. The animation video will give you a good
indication how we check for belt wear, which involved more than just inspecting for
cracks, like we did in the older days.
Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts
pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we
recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt.
Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected
breakdown.
What's A Serpentine Belt?
All of us in Streetsboro, Ohio have those days when we've got a bunch of errands to run around the Cleveland/Akron area.
Suppose on your day off you need to get gas, pick up some groceries, swing by your local Streetsboro ATM and get the
kids from school.
Now you could make four trips, but that would be a waste of time and money – totally inefficient.
Instead you get organized and hit the ATM first and get some gas next. Then you go to your favorite supermarket
and pick up the kids on the way home. Way better use of your time.
Now you may wonder what this has to do with your vehicle. Well, back in the day, each of your engine's accessories,
like the alternator and air conditioner, were powered by separate belts. A vehicle might have 5 or 6 belts. These
days, vehicles have a single belt to run all the accessories. It's called the serpentine belt because it snakes around
everything, efficiently connecting the accessories – like bundling your errands.
A pulley attached to the vehicle engine's crank provides the power to turn the serpentine belt. The belt may provide
the power for the power steering pump, which makes it easier to steer your vehicle. Next comes the alternator which
generates electricity to run the vehicle's electrical system and charge the battery. On to the air conditioning
compressor; This helps make cold air to keep you comfortable all summer long in Streetsboro, OH.
On some vehicles the water pump or radiator fan or the power brakes are also run by the serpentine belt. Some even
have two serpentine belts. No matter how your engine is arranged, you aren't going far without a serpentine belt. Your
vehicle has a recommended interval for inspecting your belt and your technician at Jimyz Automotive can
inspect it for damage or wear.
Finally, there is the belt tensioner. Its job is to apply pressure on the belt to keep it tight. Several years ago,
started making serpentine belts out of a new material. It's much more durable, but it's harder to tell when the belt
needs to be replaced. The old style belts would crack and chunks would fall off so you could easily see when you
needed a new one.
On the new style belts, if the ribs wear too deep, it's time to replace. Your uses a simple gauge to tell when the
belt is worn and you need a serpentine belt replacement. A worn belt stresses your vehicle engine's expensive
accessories and causes them to wear prematurely.
So, change your serpentine belt and belt tensioner as recommended by your friendly and knowledgeable pros at
Jimyz Automotive to extend the life of your accessories and to prevent future breakdowns.
Business
Hours: Monday -thru- Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
(Closed Saturday & sundays)
Jimyz Automotive
Repair Shop for Cars and Light Trucks in Streetsboro Ohio, is located directly across the street from the New
Streetsboro High School on Rt.-14. Jimyz proudly serves Akron, Aurora, Cuyahoga Falls, Garrettsville, Hiram,
Hudson, Kent, Mantua, Portage County, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Twinsburg and surrounding communities.
PAYMENTS ACCEPTED
We accept the following payment methods: