Is there a short term fix for a 'thrown' fan belt?
Needed something that would run the water pump and the belt is waaaay inside a stack of other belts.
Out on the road, was impossible to get at and reapir., so is there a way to put something in there temporarily?
Something like this should work
That one is out of stock but they exist elsewhere.
OTOH: In this cold weather, if the repair facility is close I'm sure you could get there without getting the car overheated.
Generations ago, people used nylon stockings.
I was a in a hardware, or maybe Harbor freight, yesterday. they had a build your own A dimension V belt, that was different links you could make longer or shorter.
Interesting device. I never knew any such thing existed. On the other hand in 4 decades of driving, I've never had a fan belt or any other belt fail. On any cars I've kept past 75K miles or so, I kept an eye on them and/or replaced them at 100K.
I have read that a pair of nylons work for a temporary fanbelt fix.
Jon
Cheapest thing is just to carry a spare belt.
Having a spare is nice, but you also need the tools to loosen idler pulleys to get the new belt on.
Serpentine or V-belt?
For either, pantyhose - really! - may work. For a V-belt, they make emergency multi-link belts; they used to be leather, now I think they are flexible plastic. Noisy, but better than no water pump for sure.
this is what I'm thinking of although I have no experience with that actual product
nate
Ayup... useta be two wrenches and/or sockets... now it can be a PITA
nate
And all the tools needed to take the other belts off that are in front of the one you want to replace.
Yep, I've been pretty good about getting them replaced before they go.
I did help my uncle out of a jam once when his belt went.
I told him to turn on the heater full blast and we made it safely to a repair station.
The only situation I ever had was on my '53 Chevy truck...when the water pump failed. It was one of those -20F days and I made it to my destination about 35 miles away . That was 1971 and I had a mechanic replace it with one out of a junk yard for a total cost of $15. Those were the days!
Amazon.com has only two reviews on these types of emergency belts, both bad. I read some other reviews on the web about these belts, none good.
They have one for serpentine belts too:
But if you're going to buy that, why not just carry a real one?! All you need is one tool for the tensioning wheel.
Dangerous, but I suppose if you need to get off the freeway it's a better choice than attempting repairs with cars whizzing by at 80 MPH.
Carry a spare? I used to throw the old one in the trunk when I replaced them (don't any more).
Not sure how you would use a pita to change a belt - would a tortilla or some Naan do the job just as well????
Thank you for that URL!
That's EXACTLY the concept, no tools just put on.
You missed my comment about it being trapped under a multitude of other belts. If the outside one, piece of cake.
thanks for the 'heads up'
Thanks for the 'extra' URL. This belt is onlly three wheels and simple.
Again, the belt is inside a multitude of other belts, so takes more than 'slipping' a new one on.
You mention 80mph. Is that legal anywhere in the US? Reminded me of Johnny Carson's quip about the universal 55 mph law, "55 mph?! CALIFORNIANS change their TIRES at 55 mph!" and "If you wnet 55 here, you'd have to have a ramp up over your car!"
Yep. Here in TX we have an 85 MPH freeway.
And just because the speed limit is 65-70 does not mean the vehicles are not going 80!
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