Belts Just Fell Off.

[JAP63]

Start the car this morning..go to reverse.....then..

i hear a weird bang/clunk...turn the car off,get out,on the ground is my balance shaft belt snapped in half and my v-belt with a nick in thi side of it on the ground next to it but not broken...WTF

Has this happened to anyone?
I only had the belts done just over a month ago.

 

[Entaran]

Harmonic Balancer let go.

Happened to me.

No biggie, doesn't actually damage anything. Don't drive the car till you fix it.

 

[JAP63]

The aircon belt is still on and both the main pulleys down below still look ok.
How exactly do u fix it?

 

[bazeng]

how'd your balance shaft belt drop to the ground with the lower timing cover on it??

is the harmonic balancer in bits?

 

[JAP63]

the guy who did it left some covers off,im assuming thats one of them...Is that a neccesary?
The balancer..the pulley u mean?
looks fine.

I was on full lock turn...belts too tight?

 

[bazeng]

he left the timing belt cover off??

get it back on dude.. if a rock / pebble / dirt whatever gets in there.. it could cause your t-belt to jump a tooth, or even break!!

 

[JAP63]

Hey baz....
Is that the cover with the timing marks on it?
Cos that one is still on there...
If i look from underneath i cant see the timing belt...and all the pulleys are still there and look ok..as i said,the aircon belt is still on the bottom pulley.

thanks heaps

jamie

 

[bazeng]

so if that cover is still on there how do you know that the balance shaft came off???

there are 2 belts on the harmonic balancer
cant exactly remember how it goes but:

1 is for the air con
1 is for the water pump alternator.. i think the water pump goes to the power steering also...

can anybody confirm?
i think i have this wrong though...

so which belts have u lost?

 

[JAP63]

sorry...i'll clear it up.

Ive had the small tooth belt snap and fall off.It was on the ground under the car.....i can only assume that this is the balance shaft belt...which is in with the timing belt..How it fell onto the ground is beyond me.I thought the case with the timing marks on it was the housing for all that stuff..........

And secondly...The V-Belt which drives as u said...Power Steering,water pump and alternator has thrown itself off and landed on the ground too..its in one piece but has a little cut in it....

Theres black chalky looking rubber all over the alternator case,like its been rubbing.

I was at full lock when it happened.

Now the cam belt seems a little loose....i could slide it off the cog with my hand if i wanted.i will tow it 2 be safe.

Guys i really appreciate ur help on this one..I dont understand how that belt could snap...maybe over tensioned...?
Thanks.

 

[rob323]

timing belts

Its pretty hard to overtension the balance shaft belt (infact, without the proper tool, its pretty hard to even get it up to the right tension, let alone over tension it), Are you sure that they replaced both belts, not just the big one? I cannot think of any possible way that the balance shaft belt can come out unless the bottom of the plastic cover with the timing marks on it has a hole in the bottom of it.

Your main timing belt should definatley be tighter than you have said, did they replace the hydraulic tensioner as well as the tensioner bearing and idler pulley when they did the belts?

+1 on the towing idea, I wouldn't even try to kick it over.

 

[JAP63]

yeah tow is safe

Everything was done...i mean from belts to idlers to tensioner to seals...everything.
The peaks of the teeth are stripped off the balance shaft belt..not to mention it being split in half...cuts all thru it.....guess ill find out today....

i think theres something up with the tensioner though...belt is tight on the front pulley and loose on the back one (closest to firewall)

i guess its a good thing the motor was still running after it happened..hopefully no damage.

 

[Jonson]

i think your getting your balance shaft belt confused with one of your accessory drive belts. the aircon compressor is on the firewall side. could be that.
your balance shaft belt is behind the timing belt and behind the timing covers. what can happen is that when putting the alternator ribbed belt on. it can easily go on the worng ribs on the harmonic balancer, slowly causing the belt to wear out and **** itself. or if it was just really worn in the first place.
id definately be taking it backl to whoever did the work.

 

[JAP63]

I think the belt that fell off wasnt the Balance shaft belt,i think it was the power steer,its a v shaped tooth belt?