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Drive belt snapped when moving off, could it cause more damage than i can see?

Hi all.

I purchsed a Peugeot 307 (yes i know they can be bad cars :rolleyes:

) 03' plate done 90K miles back in july when i was still a learner so only drove it a few times until the 5th of Nov when i passed my test. In which time i have done a good few hundred miles, so when i pulled off a round about yesterday my battery light came on but the car was still running and the light went off after a minute, there was no loss of power but as i continued to drive the battery light came back on and there was a warning saying battery faulty, then the dash board started lighting up like a Christmas tree, ABS/ESP, Airbags, Traction control lights were all on and finally when i was pulling up by my house my power steering went and the wheel started slipping? in my hands when turning. Turned off and tried to restart, no joy, left it a little bit of time and it turned on with no warning lights however the screen with time/date and what not on had reset. Popped the bonnet this morning just to check everything and found that my Drive Belt had snapped, the edges look frayed etc What i am wondering is would it have caused any damage that i can't see as there are parts that are enclosed?

I have rung a peugeot dealer and they were saying it might have damaged something so bring it in for a diagnostics check so they can strip the engine and look at it and my dad is saying from what he remembers of being a mechanic years ago that it could be a simple replacement belt and we have a Haynes manual which shows us how to do it but i just want to make sure i'm not missing something.

Thanks all :smile:

Reply 1

samsama

I am sorry, but once your timing belt goes, it's time to say goodbye to your car. :frown:

Reply 2

xx-Samantha-xx

Original post by Smiley face. YAY

If your timing belt has snapped then your car is absurdly buggered, it'd have blown a throw out bearing, your head including the gasket would have shredded into hundred of pieces, piston rings gutted, oil sump and spark plug leads warped, cylinder head cracked beyond repair.

To put it short, you want either a new engine or crush your car for scrap value. Unless you know anybody like me who is good with cars then I'd advice you get rid.

source, 23 years old , apprentice mechanic for 2 years

Original post by samsama

I am sorry, but once your timing belt goes, it's time to say goodbye to your car. :frown:

Thanks for the replies so far, I was looking at the Haynes manual though and it calls it an Auxiliary Drive Belt, i believe the timing belt is enclosed for my model of car, the belt that snapped was next to the alternator. Sorry i may sound a little dumb haha I don't know a whole lot about cars !

Reply 3

DJKL

It sounds like the pulley belt that charges the alternator, possibly drives the power steering possibly the water pump and a fan has gone. Your Haynes will show what it powered.

I don't know your car but if I were you I would, as suggested, replace the belt, charge the battery and start it up and see what, if anything, is still amiss. No idea if electrics etc have had damage, but to me sounds like the battery running low as alternator not being charged might explain most symptoms.

Reply 4

DJKL

Original post by samsama

I am sorry, but once your timing belt goes, it's time to say goodbye to your car. :frown:

Not always though can wreck the block. Sometimes cylinder head work is enough, depends on the car and the damage caused. But the OP's post does not really suggest timing belt, if it had gone the engine would have stopped.

Reply 5

InnerTemple

Sounds like the Auxiliary Drive Belt. If so - not the worst thing ever and I can't imagine it will have caused damage. I'd avoid going to a Peugeot garage to be honest - especially if the first thing they are saying they want to do is pull the engine apart. Can't you find a local, smaller garage to have a look? They would probably be cheaper.

The actual drive belt is a different thing. In very simple terms, it makes sure all the parts of the engine move at the right time. If that belt goes, you have a real headache and you'd certainly know all about it.

Reply 6

xx-Samantha-xx

Original post by DJKL

Thank you for that :smile:

It does seem like the pulley belt as i did loose power steering etc etc I have the 2L HDI Turbo and apparently the belt drives the power steering/ cooling for the engine, battery charge and other electrics. I think the best bet is get it done properly and have it have a diagnostics check as well.

Thanks again, hopefully it won't cost too much i'm looking around for quotes and things :smile:

Reply 7

xx-Samantha-xx

Original post by InnerTemple

Yeah, thank you :smile:

I'd forgotten to add the Auxiliary part to the OP and title :colondollar:

Thanks for the advice about the peugeot garage, i am looking around my area for cheaper quotes :smile:

Reply 8

DJKL

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/400816783897?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&chn=ps&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108

Circa £15 inc postage though probably can source for less.

The catch is you do not want to drive it if belt is broken so garage only helps if they come out or tow which may rack up the cost.

Usually these can be fitted by leading it around the pulleys,as per a Haynes schematic, and often there is a tension control that gives you some slack to get it round the last one. Often, if you are not an octopus, an extra pair of hands is useful; in addition access on modern cars can be a right pain.

I think your car is a transverse engine and it may need a few items removed for access if working from up top. If you have ramps/ axle stands may fit easier from underneath (do not work on it from underneath whilst it is on a jack)

Anyway good luck, these types of belts are not difficult to fit but may need a socket set for the tension release and can involve skinned knuckles. If easy access a 10-20 minute job.

Reply 9

JC.

It's a broken fan belt. Nothing exciting and certainly nothing to worry about.
5 minute job to replace and at most a tenner in parts.

The lights being thrown up on the dash will be because the battery was being run down to nothing. You did very well to get home actually.

Reply 10

CurlyBen

Original post by Smiley face. YAY

Dude, don't just throw words around to try and scare people. It was obvious from the description that it was an aux belt issue, not a timing belt. A timing belt failure isn't necessarily catastrophic - admittedly it's normally pretty bad news on an interference type engine, which most modern cars are, but sometimes you get lucky (a friend of mine had the timing belt go on an Alfa GTV and it only needed a new belt - admittedly this wasn't discovered till the head was off!). Lastly, some of your list of problems are completely irrelevant to the timing belt (e.g. the throw out bearing - that's part of the clutch) and some just made up completely (warped spark plug leads?!). Your common issues with a timing belt failure on an interference engine are piston damage, bent valves, head damage and possibly a bent camshaft and/or con rods.

By all means try and help but if you're not sure don't just say it's a write off and mention some engine related words!

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 11

Camoxide

As (some) others have said, just the fan belt, that's also the part that makes some older cars have that "screechy" noise as they're often negated and never maintained or replaced until they snap.

Reply 12

Nuffles

OP, something to check when doing the belt if you do it yourself, is to give all the associated pulleys a wiggle to see if there's any play in them, and give them a spin to see if any have seized. I knew my tensioner tensioner (the pulley on a spring loaded arm, which keeps the belt tight) bearing was farked, but I was putting off doing it until I could be bothered. Eventually it KO'd the belt. It's just worth checking as alternator belts don't usually fail of their own accord unless very old, so it may be indicative of another fault which will either just kill your new belt, or another component may fail in another way down the line.

Reply 13

xx-Samantha-xx

Original post by Nuffles

Thank you for the advise, i don't think i'll do it myself this time as i'm quite new to cars and such and my Dad is about 20 years out of practice but we have found a local garage that will replace it, check the engine and take my car to their garage for me. :biggrin:

If they call/say that this or that could do with being done then i'll most likely get it done tbh as i need the car for work :biggrin:

Tho obviously i won' t let them take the mick XD

Reply 14

xx-Samantha-xx

Just an update :smile:

Local garage fitted a new Aux Drive belt and checked over the engine for me, they say everything look fine and runs well :biggrin:

And the car is now running well yay and with the cost of the towing to them as well it was only £80 for new belt/engine check and towing which is pretty cheap considering what it could have cost if it was something like the timing belt haha !! now just to get the brakes seen too!! ( The person that owned it before me really ran it ragged tbh )

Thanks for all the advice everyone !!

Reply 15

Samuealle

Original post by Smiley face. YAY

So you're being trained to work on cars. Yet don't know anything about them? Scary thought.

Seems like youre not being taught so much about cars more how to rip people off whom don't know about the very basic workings of a car.