Serpentine belt Could you drive without this belt?

170,000 MILES • 2.0L • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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VQUA
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Could you drive without this belt?
Dec 8, 2016 at 9:40 AM
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MHPAUTOS
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no this belt drives all the external accessory equipment, alternator, power steering coolant pump you will not be able to drive with out damaging the engine.
Dec 8, 2016 at 7:08 PM
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RONNIE HURT
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There are 2 belts on a dodge neon we want to know if it’s safe to drive if the belt that works the power steering comes off?
Jan 28, 2024 at 5:38 AM
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CARADIODOC
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The rear belt runs the alternator. Without that one, the car will run on the battery for roughly a half hour. The front belt runs the AC and power steering. You won't have power steering assist. That is mainly missed at lower speeds. You won't notice it at highway speeds.

What you can expect is for power steering fluid to burp out of the reservoir and make a big mess. Turning the steering wheel pushes the fluid up to the reservoir, but without the pump running, no fluid goes back down to the steering gear. Once the belt is replaced, the fluid must be refilled, then the system has to be burped. Often that takes nothing more than running the engine and turning from side to side a few times. Recheck the fluid level a day or two later.
May 10, 2024 at 9:51 AM
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