Back to all

Tuffy Tire & Auto Maintenance Tips: The Belt Goes On

March 11, 2023

drive All GALLATIN service advisors know that without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. And on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures. (On some vehicles, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt.)

So you can see the serpentine belt does a lot of work. And it if breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That's why your vehicle manufacturer and your service advisor at Tuffy Tire & Auto have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn't fail.

Your friendly and knowledgeable Tuffy Tire & Auto service advisor can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Your serpentine belt works in tandem with a spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley. Its job is to make sure there's a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn't slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. At Tuffy Tire & Auto in GALLATIN, we recommend that the tensioner be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

Tuffy Tire & Auto
1015 S WATER AVE
GALLATIN, TN 37066
(615) 575-8295
https://www.tuffygallatin.com/

More articles from Tuffy Gallatin

Follow the Bouncing Vehicle (Bad Struts and Shocks)

March 9, 2025

If you hit a bump in the road and your vehicle just keeps bouncing up and down for a lot longer time than it used to, you may have bad struts and shocks. They're the things that help to keep your vehicle's wheels and tires planted to the road surface. But they don't last forever. With care and ... More

The Tuffy Tire & Auto Basic Guide To Synthetic Oil

March 2, 2025

Synthetic motor oil has been around for a long time, and more and more new vehicles are leaving factories with synthetic in their engines. But a lot of drivers don't really know much about it.Let's start with conventional oil the kind folks are used to. Conventional oil is made up of naturally o... More

A Clean Start (Battery Cleaning)

February 23, 2025

Your vehicle is loaded with electrical devices. Computerized components are everywhere, so good electrical connections are important. Those begin with your vehicle's battery, so it's important that its connections are in top shape. Ever had a flashlight that didn't work, took out the old batteri... More