Hello All,
My girlfriend drives a 1997 Saturn SL2. She called me today stating that when she started her car up at the gas station she felt her steering wheel was very stiff, hot air began blowing from the a/c, and the battery light came on. I immediately told her to park the car and shut it off. If it is the serpentine belt that ripped, it controls the water pump which helps keep the car cool, A/C compressor, and alternator. Since she is about one hour away I will buy parts early morning and go to where her car is. From reading on various forums, it also seems like it can be the belt tensioner and tensioner pulley, other than the obvious serpentine built which will look clearly torn. Others recommend changing the idler pulley as well. Since the car is parked at a shopping center, I will have to drive it to a nearest shop. How safe is it to drive the car before it begins to over heat?
Also, when would the belt tensioner need to be replaced? I've called a few places today and it seems that GoodYear and Firestone charge for a half an hour of labor for this job which equates to approximately $50. They also charge between $50-$60 for the belt itself.
Should I buy the parts at the dealer as they may be of higher quality or go ahead and use the belts that they provide. GoodYear told me that if they use my parts, they will not warranty the work.
My girlfriend is a graduate student so I do not want her to pay for unnecessary labor if the tensioner pulley does not need to be replaced. Most shops I spoke with on the phone said the tensioner pulley will probably need to be replaced as most of the time they change them when doing the belt itself.
Thanks
My girlfriend drives a 1997 Saturn SL2. She called me today stating that when she started her car up at the gas station she felt her steering wheel was very stiff, hot air began blowing from the a/c, and the battery light came on. I immediately told her to park the car and shut it off. If it is the serpentine belt that ripped, it controls the water pump which helps keep the car cool, A/C compressor, and alternator. Since she is about one hour away I will buy parts early morning and go to where her car is. From reading on various forums, it also seems like it can be the belt tensioner and tensioner pulley, other than the obvious serpentine built which will look clearly torn. Others recommend changing the idler pulley as well. Since the car is parked at a shopping center, I will have to drive it to a nearest shop. How safe is it to drive the car before it begins to over heat?
Also, when would the belt tensioner need to be replaced? I've called a few places today and it seems that GoodYear and Firestone charge for a half an hour of labor for this job which equates to approximately $50. They also charge between $50-$60 for the belt itself.
Should I buy the parts at the dealer as they may be of higher quality or go ahead and use the belts that they provide. GoodYear told me that if they use my parts, they will not warranty the work.
My girlfriend is a graduate student so I do not want her to pay for unnecessary labor if the tensioner pulley does not need to be replaced. Most shops I spoke with on the phone said the tensioner pulley will probably need to be replaced as most of the time they change them when doing the belt itself.
Thanks
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