Belts & Hoses

How Often Should I Get My Vehicle’s Belts and Hoses Changed?

Exposure to heat, vibration, and contamination makes belts and hoses wear out faster than any other components in your car. That’s why regular inspections are so important. Here are the belt and hose types in your car, along with their applications.

Accessory Drive Belts

While some accessories in your car are electrically powered by the charging system, others use the engine itself as their power source. The power for these accessories is delivered by a system of pulleys and belts. Examples of these accessories are:

  • Alternator
  • Water Pump for engine cooling
  • Power Steering Pump
  • Air Conditioning Compressor
  • Radiator Cooling Fan
  • Many late model cars use a single serpentine belt in place of individual belts to drive these accessories.

Hoses

The hoses that convey your car’s fluids are made of two rubber layers with a layer of fabric in between. Typical hoses include:

  • Radiator and Heater Hoses – These hoses convey coolant to the engine and heater core.
  • Fuel Hose – As the name implies, this hose transports gasoline from the tank to the engine.
  • Power Steering Hose – It connects the power steering pump to the steering gear.

Serpentine Belt

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 Eugene Oregon 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.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended that you replace your serpentine belt – or just ask a service advisor at Integrity Auto Repair on River Road in Eugene OR. We can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble.

You may have been told by a service advisor to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are 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. There are tools available that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing.

A worn belt can slip (squeal) or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

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.

Radiator & Coolant Hoses

Radiator and coolant hoses are vital to keep your engine from overheating. With time and use, hoses become brittle and weak. Don’t wait for a failed radiator or coolant hose to leave you stranded.

Coolant System Components:

  • Heater Core
  • Heater Hoses
  • Pressure Cap
  • Thermostat
  • Upper Radiator Hose
  • Radiator
  • Fan
  • Water Pump
  • Transmission Cooler
  • Lower Radiator Hose
  • Reserve Tank
  • Antifreeze

Cooling hoses should be replaced every 5 years or 100,000 miles.

TIMING BELTS… WHAT ARE THEY?

Piston engines can generally be divided into two groups-Interference AND non-interference engines.
If a timing belt breaks on a non-interference engine the engine will ‘free-wheel’ and the piston will not contact the valves.

On the other hand, interference engines will not ‘free-wheel”. Severe valve train and piston damage can result if the timing belt breaks while the engine is running.

TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT GUIDE

Most manufacturers have recommended replacement Intervals for replacing timing belts. A typical service Interval in between 50,000 and 60,000 miles. It is important to replace timing belts at recommended Intervals even if the vehicle has a non-interference engine. Proper maintenance prevents expensive tow bills and possible accidents due to loss of engine power while traveling at highway speeds.

Call Us today and schedule a vehicle inspection so that an accurate estimate can be provided.

Remember…All repairs at Integrity Auto Repair are performed by ASE Certified technicians.

  • Cooling System
  • Radiator
  • Radiator Hose
  • Heater Hose
  • Fuel Hose
  • Power Steering Hose
  • Heater Core
  • Engine Coolant
  • Power Steering Pump
  • Timing Belt
  • Serpentine Belt
  • Alternator
  • Water Pump
  • Power Steering Pump
  • Air Conditioning Compressor
  • Radiator Cooling Fan
  • Steering Gear
  • Electrical Charging System
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