Do you carry an extra engine belt?

[610Alpha]

Had to figure out how to do a poll.

[610Alpha]

Let give some background. Yesterday the FIL and I were on our way to get some straw. We were heading in to town to get some $$ from the ATM. On the edge of town I heard this tink tink tink from the engine, I said to my FIL "Do you hear that?" he replied "Hear what?". I informed him of what I was hearing then all of a sudden it stopped. He pulls in to the gas station to get some petro and the first thing he notices is that the truck has become very hard to steer. Then we smell the engine coolant. He finds a place to park and we jump out to look under the hood and there before our eyes were the empty pulley's where a belt should have been. Thankfully we weren't out in the boondocks on some back road.

Lessons Learned:
Buy quality auto parts.
Keep an extra belt in the vehicle!

Oh we did get the straw but this time we used his Dump truck which he uses for work every day :)

[Mikeg175]

On 2 out of 3 of my vehicles I carry many extra parts including belts , hoses , axle shafts , 2 have onboard air , electric lockers , one has a 400 and a 1000 watt inverter on it and both have full set of tools . One also has a freezer fridge from ARB on it . My wife's vehicle doesn't have anything other then a spare tire . She doesn't travel more then a few miles from the house and its a brand new vehicle ( i'll run the risk ) , she has 3 mechanic brothers , myself and my friends all within 20 mins of wherever she is . My vehicles are the ones that do the traveling and go off the beaten path and both are setup to get back out , if something breaks . So I guess I would be 2 yes and one no , hehe .

[610Alpha]

excellent Mikeg175!! Extra axle shaft even plus freezer/fridge.

[Bull]

Definitely extra belts, hoses, hose clamps, etc, and don't forget about the tools you will need to install them. I have a relatively small tool bag with the stuff I need to change pretty much anything I would be able to repair roadside. Doesn't take up too much room.

[rice paddy daddy]

Back in the day when a 1982 Chevy S-10 was my daily driver I carried spare starter, alternator, belts, hoses and enough tools to disassemble the entire engine. I got rid of the old gal when she had 25 years and 378,000 miles on her. I had rebuilt the engine twice by then, along with just about everything else, and knew the truck inside and out.. I actually had an adjustment bolt shear off the alternator 300 miles from home, within 15 minutes the spare was installed and we were on our way. Impressed the heck out of my wife ( she knows me a little better now, after 21 years).
I'm totally spoiled now. For the first time in my life I no longer have to drive beaters.
If you are going to carry spare parts, remember that they are useless unless you have the tools to install them.

[MustangGal]

I don't, I couldn't do anything to fix my car, anyway, other than changing the tire. DH does carry some spare parts in the Mustang and the old GMC p/u.

[ssonb]

The newer style serpentine belts usually do not fail unless acted on by other forces. 1-- age, change them every three years or sooner. 2-- mechanical damage, this accurs mostly from worn idler and tensioner pulleys or about to fail alternators and AC compressors.3-- Chemical damage antifreeze and oil. Need I say more.4-- Unexpected belt loss, driving thru deep water will lift a belt out of its groves and toss it away and rodents... yes I have replaced belts where a chipmonk,rat squirel and even a kitten where under the hood and went for an unintended ride and tried to disembark in route,got cought in the belt and jumped it off. I have made this short story long mostly to give the advice these belts do not come off by themselves and if they do come off you are most likley going to need more parts than just a belt,If you intend to have a spare belt make shure you practice on the vehicle beforehand. PS the answer is no I do not carry a spare belt.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I carry the old one in the tool box. I replace them every few years, the serpantine belt is way too easy to replace. It takes a 3/8 ratchet, thats it.

[Mikeg175]

In a galaxy far far away and a long long time ago , I took a date out 4 wheelin with the guys . After playing around and getting dirty and stuck a few times , just like the OP I heard a ting and saw my headlights dim . I immediately knew the problem and hopped out to grab my bag of parts and tools and realized to my dismay they were sitting on the workbench from earlier that day when I had to rebuild the dreaded carter carb on the Cj5 . I knew I had a few options and decided on one and went into action . I asked my date in semi serious sauveness if I could have her pantyhose , with a little hesitancy she relented . I then proceeded to twist them and then I wrapped them around where the belts went and then I tied them into knot . I ran home , got my bag , but I didn't switch them out till it finally went out a few days later , just to test how long it would last .

So to make a long story short , bad planning got my date out of her pantyhose quicker and easier then I ever could :) hehe .

[Irish-Tech]

I currently do not carry one but it has been something i have been thinking of. Interesting this topic comes up because this weekend while visiting the in-laws there trucks starter died while we were about an hour from home. plenty of family and friends in the area and we got the truck and us home. changed the starter the next morning and it works fine.

[Grantmeliberty]

I always carry a spare serpentine, the one I take off when I put a new one on. Different vehicles have different systems for releasing the tension on the idler pulley, not all use a 3/8 square drive. Know what your vehicle needs, sometimes it is best to get the specialized tool specifically for serpentines. For the older vehicles which use multiple belts, if you have a replacement for the water pump/ fan and alternator, you should be able to get home.
On the issue of losing power steering, it is a very useful test to find a large vacant parking lot and test how well you can stop and steer your vehicle without power. Be driving at perhaps 25 miles per hour, turn off the ignition without locking the steering, brake lightly a few times to use up the stored vacuum for the assist, then try stopping without assist. Try steering at the same time to see how much force is required. Under an emergency situation you will not be so shocked and hopefully you will be able to safely control your vehicle.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I couldn't do anything to fix my car

Don't sell yourself short. This is an old Buick and my Chevy truck is even easier.
Serpantine Belt Replacement

Taking it off, matter of seconds with one tool

Putting it on, less than 1 minute time spent with one tool

My Daughters car started to shred one today so we took the opportunity to video on a cell phone. We spent more time at the parts counter than fixing it. The age was an unknown on this belt but I suspect the cause. The old belt will be trimmed on the shreded material and placed in the trunk around the spare tire taking up no extra room.

[GAGLOCK]

Awesome Matt! You've inspired me to go ahead and change the belts in a couple of my vehicles. I'll keep the old ones as spares.

[Yeti]

Old ones are spares.

The big thing is to routinuely check ahead of time. Just make it part of the normal cycle to check.
Yeah it won't prevent the random critter under the hood incident, but generally I would say it takes care of 90% of your losing a belt issue.