What would cause a serpentine belt to burn off?

The failure of a bearing on an idler pulley, in an alternator, water pump, or some other accessory can cause undue abrasive wear on the belt. A rusty pulley can also cause excess wear leading to failure.

Can a serpentine belt just fall off?

A broken serpentine belt stops the water pump from circulating coolant (antifreeze) through the cooling system, and the engine can overheat – anywhere! it can throw the belt off And not break it, just throw off the alignment of all the other components and it will come off.

What happens when a drive belt tensioner fails?

Belt-driven accessories fail A seized or loose drive belt tensioner can cause the belt to snap, which will disables those accessories and can cause problems such as overheating, a dead electrical system and battery, or a disabled AC system.

What problems can a loose serpentine belt cause?

Quick fact: If your serpentine belt is loose, you may have other mechanical problems like under-performing water pump, which can cause the engine to overheat. Squealing noise from the front of the vehicle. If you notice a squealing noise coming from the front of your vehicle, it could be from the serpentine belt. …

What are the symptoms of a bad tensioner pulley?

Listen for a fluttering” noise while driving or while the car is idling. This indicates the tensioner is too loose. Other noises such as squealing or whirling from the front of the engine mean the spring inside the tensioner is weakening. In this case, the belt tensioner needs to be replaced.

Can you drive your car with a bad tensioner pulley?

Driving with a bad belt tensioner is unsafe since the tensioner is meant to guarantee ample tension that powers accessories. Wear on the belt tensioner will eventually cause the belt to slip, generate loud noise, and also create an unsafe level of heat along the accessory pulleys.