Burning belts
 

I have a 95 galant S 5spd. Well the other day I was driving home from work and my car was making a really loud squealling noise. I just figured it was so cold out that it was my belts being funny. Well all of a sudden all my error lights came on(battery and oil) so I knew right away my alternator belt fell of or snapped. The belt was just laying in the engine bay. So anyways I bring it to Car X in eagan since they just did all my belts, so im like sure ill just get a new one, part of the warranty right. I drop it off and come back and they told me that the belt melted and snapped. They told me the alternator was either going out or the belt wasnt catching the pulley. Well at first I thought it could have been my subs that could be doing this, making the alternator work harder since it was heating up. Could my subwoofer/amp do this? So my question is, is my alternator going getting over worked by my subs, or is it just its time to go? So any suggestions would help.

Thanks

Re: Burning belts
 

Its an old car so stuff will start wearing out, alternators don't last forever. Without a doubt though, your amps/subs took a toll on the alternator and helped it go out quicker. Buy a nice lifetime warranty one from Checker, Napa, whatever. Oh, this isn't a Galant tech board unless you have a GVR4.

Re: Burning belts
 

Your subs should have nothing to do with the load that the alternator is putting on the belt. The more stuff you put in your car that requires power will draw more from the alternator but it will not cause the belt to squeel and snap. If I were just to make a guess I would say that the alternator is/was on its way out and it just froze up on you. This would cause your belt to just squeel until it melts and breaks. Grab the pully on the alternator and see if you can spin it with your hands, if you can't its shot.

CRAIG

Re: Burning belts
 

Yea if they just replaced them then they either way overtightened them or something else is wrong (rubbing).

Your amp draw should have nothing to do with that. If you were loosing power, lets say your lights were dimming while sound system was going, then you dont have enough juice putting out.

Re: Burning belts
 

Actually the bigger the electrical load on the alt, the bigger the mechanical load on the engine(and belt)

Re: Burning belts
 

Thats true, but its not going to be enough to put a load on the alternator that is so substantial that the belt breaks? It may have contributed to the alternator going bad but having subs in your car isn't going to make your belt break.:rolleyes:

CRAIG

Re: Burning belts
 

All the extra strain on the alternator can cause the belt to squeal if it isn't quite tight enough. The extra strain plus the belt not quite aligning properly could cause it to snap.

Re: Burning belts
 

I wasn't implying that his subs were the only cause.My guess is the belt was just loose

Re: Burning belts
 

Or a combination of a loose belt and a alternator that was bad or was going bad.

CRAIG

Re: Burning belts
 

Thanks for the replies. Ill try you suggestions and i'll let you know what was going on. Thanks again