Alwayscheck a vehicle’s belts and hoses when it is in your service bay. Atthis very moment, the Car Care Council says that nearly 30% of thevehicles passing your front door need a belt or hose replacement.
Thisis critical business given the fact that a belt can cause an overheatedengine, loss of power steering and loss of the electrical chargingsystem.
If a hose leaks coolant or the belt turning the waterpump snaps, the cooling system is immediately inoperable and seriousinternal damage that requires expensive repairs can quickly ruin awinter getaway.
Coolant and heater hoses are the system’sweakest structural components because they’re made of flexible rubbercompounds to absorb vibration between the engine and the body’sfirewall. Designed to hold coolant under high pressure, these hoses arealso subject to fluctuating extremes of heat and cold, in addition toatmospheric ozone that attacks the rubber compounds.
The mostdamaging cause of hose failure, electrochemical degradation, isn’t easyto detect. ECD can attack the hoses from the inside, causing tinycracks. Acids and contaminants in the coolant can then weaken the yarnmaterial that reinforces the hose. Eventually, pinholes can develop orthe weakened hose may rupture from pressure or constant flexing.
Somebasic maintenance can help prevent coolant hose failure. Check thewhite coolant-recovery tank often to ensure the proper fluid level.Marks on the tank indicate the proper level for when the engine is coldor hot. If the tank is low after repeated fillings, suspect a leak.Also check for white, light green, or pink coolant tracks in the enginebay, which is residue left from leaking coolant.
When the engine iscool, squeeze the hoses with your thumb and forefinger near the clamps,where ECD most often occurs. Feel for soft or mushy spots. A good hosewill feel firm, yet pliant. Flush and replace the coolant according tothe owner’s manual. Clean coolant is less likely to support ECD.
Theupper radiator hose fails more often than any other hose, followed bythe water pump bypass hose and the outlet heater hose from the engineto the heater core. You would be wise to check these hoses first.
Whenit comes to belts, the Car Care Council says chances of a V-beltfailure rise dramatically after four years or 36,000 miles, while thecritical point for a serpentine belt is 50,000 miles. Your job is tolook for cracks and slits on the belts and replace them immediately ifanything looks suspicious.
Again, specifying a durable, proven belt will save your customer – and your shop – unexpected headaches.
Somethingcalled “quiet channel technology” has appeared on the scene, and it issaid to eliminate misalignment noise. This high-technology belt issupposed to offer greater wear resistance, higher tension integrity andis reportedly easy to install.
Today’s belts are built tolast. Often, the backing is composed of a touch-coated fabric thatprovides much greater abrasion resistance – twice as much – of olderstandard belts. They are also oil and heat resistant.
