Brett SF Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Hello, I will be taking my car to a shop, but I'd like to understand what's wrong and what the fix is. I had an intermittent squeal on the driver's side of the engine for about a month. Last night, a thin belt on the driver's side broke and there was smoke coming from under the hood. There is also new grease/oil spatter inside the hood. My questions are: What is the name of the thin belt on the driver's side? It seems to connect to the camshaft. Was the squeal likely coming from the idler pulley? What likely needs to be done to repair this? I appreciate any answers you can provide. Thank you, Brett 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangster Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 That would be the water pump belt. It is a stretch belt that is significantly different than a normal serpentine belt to install and how it is tensioned. The grease and oil splatter is concerning to me, could it be coolant? Did you find the belt that came off, was it greasy? The engine will over heat without the water pump belt in place, but I am not sure if there is something else going on or not. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett SF Posted August 19, 2019 Author Share Posted August 19, 2019 Thank you for your response, The spatter is watery and greasy. I have been smelling a chemical I can't identify, maybe antifreeze. The overflow is dry, maybe my bad. I've attached photos. Is the water pump driven by the camshaft? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangster Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Yup, that is the camshaft pulley (large one off the back of the engine) that runs the water pump (that smaller pulley below). It isn't easy, but it isn't difficult either, to replace that belt (if you have every replaced a bicycle chain) I am not sure what the real process is that involves zip ties. It is possible that the belt just went bad, but it is also possible there is something else going on, and the water pump needs replaced, which is more time consuming and possibly not something a non mechanic could do. I wouldn't drive it at all without the water pump working, not sure how long you can go at whatever temperature it is there, I have pushed my luck before, but you don't want to do something like cause a head gasket problem, for example. Hopefully it hasn't overheated yet. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett SF Posted August 19, 2019 Author Share Posted August 19, 2019 That's what I needed to know, thank you! Luckily, I noticed the smoke, shut down and checked the belt before I left the driveway. I'll have the car towed to a shop. Thank you again, Brett 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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