Date:         Wed, 29 Jan 2003 02:28:29 -0500
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fan Belt Squeal
Comments: To: Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <3E371A74.A88F52C6@adelphia.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Well no one else seems to have replied, so I'll stick my two cent (euro
cent) in.

Yep a new belt can squeal. 9 times out 10 it will be the alternator
belt on a Vanagon that is squealing (another possibility is the AC
belt, but being as it is winter time for most of the folks on this
list, I'm going to assume you aren't using AC right now.)

None of the belts that are likely to break on a Vanagon will cripple
your engine. The available belts are 1) Alternator. If this breaks
you'll be running on your battery for the next 20 miles or so. After
which you'll have a very hard going anywhere. 2) AC compressor belt. No
belt, No AC. 3) Power steering belt. No belt, and you'll find it harder
to turn the wheel (especially when parking.)

Depending on model and year one or other of these belts will also power
the water pump (if you aren't running an air cooled engine). If that
belt breaks then you risk over heating (with all that entails from
THAT.) That's your only real concern.


On Tuesday, January 28, 2003, at 07:04 PM, Marc Perdue wrote:

> Okay, so the '87 Westy is the oldest vehicle I've owned in quite some
> time, so I'm a little (make that a lot) rusty at these things.  I
> noticed that my fan belt (okay, it's not really a FAN belt, but you
> know
> what I'm talking about) has started squealing over the past week or so.
> I've also observed that a lot of cars' fan belts squeal more in the
> winter time.  Is this pretty much normal?  Back in the old days, when I
> had a Ford truck with 246,000 miles on it, was a student with negative
> money, I'd just spray the sucker with belt dressing and be on my way.
> Now that I'm an adult (sort of) with negative money, I'm curious if
> this
> is still the best solution.  My real question is this though: Is a
> squealing fan belt necessarily an indication of a worn-out belt?  I
> know
> what to look for to figure out if a belt needs to be replaced, but it's
> dark out just now and I'm basically lazy.  On a vanagon, will a broken
> fan belt destroy the engine?
>
> Okay, that's enough of the stupid questions for the moment.  Thanks for
> your support,
> Marc Perdue