2001 Subaru Outback power steering, ALT, battery.

THEBIGENG

MEMBER
2001 SUBARU OUTBACK
6 CYL
AWD
AUTOMATIC
83,000 MILES

I am driving, the break light comes on and the battery light, the power steering goes out. I crack the hood and notice that the drive belt has slipped off one of the 5 or 6 rotators. I also notice the the rotator that it slppinf off of has nearly unscrewed itself becasue the ball berings are not turning. I could not get the drive belt back on. The car breaks fine.

Questions: can I drive to the repair shop this way?

Will it start tomorrow?
What else does this belt power besides the alt, air and power steeing?

4 Replies

2CARPRO JACK

MECHANIC
11,533 POSTS

That would depend. How far away is the shop? It looks like the water pump is run by the timing belt, if not dont drive it. If you fully charge the battery and dont use any accessories (stereo, lights) then it should make it if its within a few miles. Be kinda hard to steer

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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 AT 7:34 AM

THEBIGENG

MEMBER
3 POSTS

I made it to the repair shop. The water pump on the 2001 outback is run by a timing chain and not a belt. So the drive belt does not affect the water cooling system. The belt could have come off and bashed up the cooling fans though so it was good that I did not travel far.

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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 AT 1:40 PM

2CARPRO JACK

MECHANIC
11,533 POSTS

Cool, my bad I figured that you would pull the belt out of there to prevent anything like that. Glad you made it

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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 AT 1:43 PM

THEBIGENG

MEMBER
3 POSTS

It was the idler pully that came off becasue of the pully bearing bruning out, odd thing is that the real cause was that the Tensioner bearing went bad, that is what holds the pully in place. It also has a bearing and that bearing gave out causing the idler pully to wobble and thus the belt came of the track. This belt is called a sepentine belt and it is smooth on one side and has ribs on the other.

When this belt came off, I lost power steering, A/C, Altnernator which charges the battery and the idler.

Total cost including one day rental car $399.41 cost of not being in the middle of nowhere with a car that will not start with no air. Priceless!

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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 AT 6:31 PM