Serpentine belt broke, possible bad water pump?

[Nicoxcx]

I have a hyundai Santa fe 2001. Was taking kids to the park and noticed the overhead car clock light was dull, then dashboard dull, then radio went out and ac came on and then a very dull battery light. Got off the busy road and pulled over just inside the park and popped the hood, Belt was broke (although inspecting it other than the point it snapped/shredded a bit it looks in good condition) little spray from what I assume is coolant and no smoke.
Park ranger said park closed in an hour and if the car wasn't gone by then he had to call the county to 'tow' it so I called a tow and had it taken to the mechanic (doesn't open until Monday). Later I went to remove the radiator cap and it pretty much crumbled in my hand. I assume the car overheated because the belt broke and the coolant wasn't being circulated could the radiator cap have been at fault to?

I am just wondering how common is it that the belt would break on it's own? Could the corroded/broken cap have led to it? The car was making a squealing noise previously but no other issues.

 

[mindless1]

No the radiator cap was only a victim of the heat, or if you hadn't pulled it off in a long time, might just be worn out or a combination of both. Your vehicle is ~15 years old, at that age it is not uncommon at all for a belt to have worn out, or any other rubber like the cap gasket. Usually there will be cracks forming in a belt for thousands of miles before failure, giving you an indicator it should be replaced soon.

A seized pulley can wear a belt out very quickly. If your water pump bearing failed yes that could cause it, however most have a weep hole and when the bearing is going bad the extra play causes a coolant leak there which progressively gets worse and is hard not to notice before complete bearing seizure. However if you were losing coolant at a rapid pace such that the water level was below that of the water pump, that can cause a cascade failure of the pump bearing after the initial fault had occurred, except when it's a belt breaking then it's not spinning the pump so no bearing wear running dry from that.

Certainly I would grab all pulleys and make sure they rotate freely by hand and replace any (parts) that don't before putting the new belt on, but if it's already on and running fine again then you should be okay. Worn out pulley bearings also tend to squeal and wobble, though you could be getting some squeal (or growl) from your power steering just because you might have turned the wheel while the pump wasn't pumping due to the broken belt which just means it needs the air purged from the steering system.

As for the prior squealing noise, yeah you should have investigated that previously. Could've just been due to belt wear, or could have been a pulley not freely turning.

Check your coolant level and hopefully it didn't overheat to the point of a gasket failure, warped or cracked head. You may be fortunate that lack of alternator spinning caused the battery to drain so you noticed before that happened.

I would advise anyone with a 15 y/o vehicle to replace their belt before it wears out if it's the original. This might be an indicator that it's time to look at some other things and replace or at least inspect them before they leave you stranded too like radiator hoses, heater hoses, thermostat, timing belt or chain (where applicable).

 

[Nicoxcx]

Thankyou, I will check the pulleys first thing in the morning. And will be able to get a better idea in the daylight. I do remember having the belt replaced within the last 6 years after the mechanic said it was looking worn out, I do plan to have my brother in law replace the belt tomorrow and you have given me plenty of information to take to the Mechanic on Monday so I can ask questions.

 

[jlee]

I would suspect a higher possibility of your AC compressor seizing than your water pump (water pumps generally leak when they fail), but I would spin all of the pulleys involved and see which (if any) are displeased.

 

[BoomerD]

"deleted"

 

[mindless1]

Aren't most A/C compressor clutches spring loaded or otherwise torque-disabled to the extent that if they seized then they'd just allow free-wheeling? Maybe I'm full of it but I don't recall a failed A/C compressor causing this kind of problem.

 

[jlee]

Aren't most A/C compressor clutches spring loaded or otherwise torque-disabled to the extend that if they seized then they'd just allow free-wheeling? Maybe I'm full of it but I don't recall a failed A/C compressor causing this kind of problem.

I'm not sure - maybe they are these days? I am not sure how current this is:

The most common symptom of a compressor failure (besides no cooling) is a seized compressor. It won't turn when the magnetic clutch engages, and you may hear squeals of protest from the drive belt. Or, the belt may have already broken or been thrown off its pulleys.

The last catastrophic water pump failure I had ('04 CTS-V) didn't kill the belt - the coolant temp just went way up.

 

[RayH]

Also if your car has a two piece crank pulley they tend to separate with age and can throw the belt.

 

[herm0016]

Aren't most A/C compressor clutches spring loaded or otherwise torque-disabled to the extent that if they seized then they'd just allow free-wheeling? Maybe I'm full of it but I don't recall a failed A/C compressor causing this kind of problem.

he did say the ac tried to kick on, if the pump is siezed and the clutch kicks on, it could break the belt.

 

[Pinuckle57the1taz]

Pinuckle57the1taz... Please start your own thread on your issues...

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