Fan belt
Asked by GuruHMJDZ Aug 10, 2019 at 05:58 AM about the 2001 Mazda Tribute ES V6 4WD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Part of fan belt sheared off and was flapping
around.. I cut the broken part off and it's still
functioning for the moment (just 3mm
narrower) guessing it won't for much longer
though.. want to know what could have
caused this..and is it hard to repair?
2 Answers
How old is the belt? They don't last forever. Replacement is in the 60K range. It is not hard to replace. Remove the bottom plastic panel under the car in that area, which is part of the splash shield. Have a long socket wrench to undo the tensioner and remove the belt. Reinstall the belt in the proper orientation, have a helper from above to get it around the alternator, and release the tension. I'd check the pulleys with your hands when you have the belt off to see if they hard to turn. They should spin freely, except the crank pulley.