Tackle my biggest repair yet, help?!

SteelyDanJalapeno

Hi guys,

My Serpentine belt came loose and away from its cogs and pulleys a few weeks back when the weather was particularly good and while I was sitting in traffic on a pretty steep hill!

Here is what I think has happened, I can get pics later to help illustrate, we were sitting in traffic on one of the better days of the summer 2 weeks back and I went to turn on the air conditioning, the power steering went instantly and the battery light came on, I didnt realise at the time that it could be any of the belts, I just thought I maybe had a low battery. I drove it on about a mile in the traffic, I didn't really have much of a choice untilI got to a car park and I then saw the belt hanging loose. It was because of a unit that the belt drives up high level with the oil dip stick entry, I think it may be the air con unit? but i'm not sure, but this had come loose causing the belt to lose any tension and hang off. The unit is bolted to the engine I think and this bolt has snapped off with half of the bolt remaining in the thread of the unit.

The car is Toyota Corolla 00 1.9 Diesel hatch (Engine is a stock peugeot 1.9 diesel of the time afaik).

I dont have any immediate need for the car so I'd like to fix it myself, but this would be the biggest job I've tried to do, would any of the experts believe this is a job that could be done at home?

dgt

So your aux belt snapped..... Nothing else hanging off?

3 allen bolts, loosen 2 on the side of the tensioner and wind in the 3rd on the bottom. Yes, tighten in the 3rd bolt at the bottom to relieve tension. Place new belt and tension in the reverse order.

Squeazy eh....

SteelyDanJalapeno

dgt wrote: »

So your aux belt snapped..... Nothing else hanging off?

3 allen bolts, loosen 2 on the side of the tensioner and wind in the 3rd on the bottom. Yes, tighten in the 3rd bolt at the bottom to relieve tension. Place new belt and tension in the reverse order.

Squeazy eh....

Did you read my post? the belt didnt snap....

dgt

I did twas thinking of something else at the time.... Freuidian slip!

Try tensioning the belt as I described.... But the air con condenser being jaunty might spoil the party.... I'm wondering what could have caused it to bend or break though?

Throw up pics if possible, a huge help

colm_mcm

Car definitely has aircon yeah?

SteelyDanJalapeno

dgt wrote: »

I did twas thinking of something else at the time.... Freuidian slip!

Try tensioning the belt as I described.... But the air con condenser being jaunty might spoil the party.... I'm wondering what could have caused it to bend or break though?

Throw up pics if possible, a huge help

Well get pics up later, I can't tension it that much without the unit that has come off, there's too much slack.

I'm guessing the way to go is to replace the air com unit or whatever it is that has come free, or would it be possible to get the sheared bolt free from the thread inside.

SteelyDanJalapeno

colm_mcm wrote: »

Car definitely has aircon yeah?

No not definitely, but the belt definetly came off when I pressed the air com button on and turned it up full, it was nearly instantly after this.

dgt

If a bolt has sheared I'd drill the bolt out as much as possible and run a tap through it or use an easy out and still run a tap through it.

I do find it strange a bolt would snap like that out of the blue

SteelyDanJalapeno

Can show you in the pics later, but the unit at the top end of the belt, maybe the belt was too tight? but as I said it was an instant reaction to the air being turned on, steering went heavy, and the battery light came on(alternator is on the belt too)

What's a tap?