So for the last 4 weeks the engine kept making this high-pitched note when reving up that sounded somewhat unusual and new. I once even looked under the hood trying to track it down. It sounded like a squealing bearing, but never did anything about it and eventually forgot about it.
Last night I got the dreaded call from my wife:" The car doesn't work. It can only go straight but the steering isn't working at all and I have a red light with a + and - sign on the dash"
I first thought maybe the hose from the power steering pump to the cooler jumped off. So I asked her if there was a puddle of fluid under the car. She said yes. I considered buying some power-steering fluid before heading out but then it hit me: Alternator light and no power steering can only mean one thing - the belt.
The serpentine belt jumped off because the pulley for the belt tensioner was wobbling on a disintegrated bearing. Even spewed out some metal filings. Now I know what the squealing sound was. The car has 140k miles and this seems to be the original belt. The tensioner still has the star nut in the center and the metal wheel.
The good news: For less than 140$ I have the fan clutch wrench set, new tensioner, new idler pulley, and new belt on its way. Looks like a doable DIY job.
Last night I got the dreaded call from my wife:" The car doesn't work. It can only go straight but the steering isn't working at all and I have a red light with a + and - sign on the dash"
I first thought maybe the hose from the power steering pump to the cooler jumped off. So I asked her if there was a puddle of fluid under the car. She said yes. I considered buying some power-steering fluid before heading out but then it hit me: Alternator light and no power steering can only mean one thing - the belt.
The serpentine belt jumped off because the pulley for the belt tensioner was wobbling on a disintegrated bearing. Even spewed out some metal filings. Now I know what the squealing sound was. The car has 140k miles and this seems to be the original belt. The tensioner still has the star nut in the center and the metal wheel.
The good news: For less than 140$ I have the fan clutch wrench set, new tensioner, new idler pulley, and new belt on its way. Looks like a doable DIY job.