Why doesnt the car want to start? It not the battery, is it a belt?

CHAVELIE

MEMBER
1999 FORD ESCORT

Please help ! I have a 99 ford escort and it stopped running. At first it was making a sound like if something was caught under neath of it, we looked and it looked like a strip of rubber so we pulled it out. The car kept making the noise so we looked under the hood and it looks like a belt was stripping and thats where the rubber came from. About 5 minutes later the car just stopped and doesnt want to start up

1 Reply

CJ MEDEVAC

MECHANIC
11,004 POSTS

JUST AN IDEA

YOUR BELT GOT TRASHED FOR SOME REASON

OLD?

A PULLEY LOCKED UP AND THE PULLEY TORE UP THE BELT?

MAYBE THE PULLEY THAT LOCKED UP WAS THE ALTERNATOR?...COULDA BEEN LOCKED UP FOR A WHILE....YOU RAN ONLY OFF THE BATTERY...TILL IT WAS DEAD?

IS THE BELT STILL ON THE PULLEYS, OR IS IT JUST DANGLIN' IN THERE LOOSE?.....THUS NOT TURNING THE ALTERNATOR...NO CHARGY MR. BATTERY

HOW DO YOU KNOW THE BATTERY IS GOOD......NOW? MAYBE IT'S GOOD...JUST NEEDS CHARGING?

THE 1ST PART OF THIS TEST WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THE BATTERY---THE BELT MUST BE REPLACED AND ALL PULLEYS FREELY TURN, FOR THE 2ND PART

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzz7P3qNHcE

I'D SNATCH THE BELT OFF---SEE IF ALL OF THE PULLEYS TURN FREELY BY HAND (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY...THE ENGINE TURNS IT....IT IS A BIGGER PULLEY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE)

YOU MIGHT ALSO INSPECT YOU TENSIONER TO INSURE IT'S NOT THE REASON YOUR BELT GOT TRASHED

KEEP US INFORMED

THE MEDIC