Are fan belt and drive belt the same?
Are fan belt and drive belt the same?
Sometimes called a fan belt, alternator belt, or accessory drive belt, the serpentine belt is spun by the engine crankshaft and, in turn, spins, or “drives”, the accessories. Cars of the past relied on multiple drive belts, but today’s vehicles (usually) count on just one, the serpentine belt.
Where is the fan belt on a car?
Fan belts in a car are one of the essential pieces inside the hood of your vehicle. It connects vital parts, the crankshaft pulley, and the alternator to the engine’s cooling system. Taking care of your belt can seem difficult if you aren’t a car junky, it can seem incredibly daunting to pick up the hood of your car and inspect it.
How can I relieve the tension on my fan belt?
Relieve the tension on the belt. If your vehicle came equipped with an auto tensioner pulley, it can usually be loosened by inserting the end of a ½ inch drive ratchet into the hole at the center of the pulley. In some vehicles, it may be a bolt head you will need to locate the proper size wrench to turn.
How to install a new serpentine belt, fan belt or?
With clear access to your pulleys, you can now install your new serpentine belt. Remember to align the grooves of the belt with the grooves of your pulleys.
Why do I need a new fan belt?
Everything from the water pump to the air conditioning. But let’s not get too poetic about it. All of those pulleys need belts to transfer the energy from the crank pulley, and those belts wear out with all of their spinning, heating, cooling, stretching, and shrinking.
With clear access to your pulleys, you can now install your new serpentine belt. Remember to align the grooves of the belt with the grooves of your pulleys.
How do you replace a fan belt on a car?
You will see YouTube videos of people replacing fan belts by prying them off the pulleys, then prying the new ones on or by bumping the starter to turn the engine. Don’t do that, as it bends the pulleys, which are made of thin, cheap metal stampings (for V-belts).
Relieve the tension on the belt. If your vehicle came equipped with an auto tensioner pulley, it can usually be loosened by inserting the end of a ½ inch drive ratchet into the hole at the center of the pulley. In some vehicles, it may be a bolt head you will need to locate the proper size wrench to turn.
Do you use fan belts instead of electric fans?
Older model vehicles and some high-performance applications still utilize fan belts instead of electric fans. Older belts were made of neoprene and would benefit from the application of belt dressing, but newer EPDM-made belts may dry out as a result of using belt dressing.
