Services:
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Checking and
Replacing Belts
& Hoses
If you think of all the materials that comprise your vehicle; steel,
plastic, leather, glass, rubber - you can picture components in and
around your car that are made of these materials. Think about rubber
for a minute – the first thing (and for some the only thing)
that comes to mind is the tires.
Well, there are two other rubber-based parts that can easily determine
whether your car operates or hangs off the back of a tow truck….your
belts and hoses.
Belts
While some accessories in your car like the stereo and A/C fan are
electrically powered, others rely for power on the engine itself.
These include:
•
Air conditioning compressor
• Alternator
• Power steering pump
• Radiator cooling fan
• Water pump
With the exception of the air conditioning compressor, the failure
of a belt that drives any one of these components means you’re
going to be grounded.
In some late model cars, a single serpentine belt replaces the usual
multiple belts at the front of the engine. Obviously should that
style of belt fail, everything driven by it ceases to function…at
the same time.
Hoses
The hoses that convey your car’s fluids are generally made
of two rubber layers with a layer of fabric in between. Typical hoses
include:
• Radiator and heater hoses (these convey coolant to the engine and
heater core and are vital to engine operation). Lose these and your
engine loses its cool.
• Fuel hose (as the name implies, this hose transports gasoline from
the tank to the engine).
• Power steering hose (connects the power steering pump to the steering
gear).
• Air conditioning hoses (conducts refrigerant to/from A/C components).
As with belts, the above hoses play a vital role in your car’s
operation. Whether they’re transporting gasoline or engine
coolant, a leaky hose spells trouble.
Well, if you’ve come this far in our little treatise on belts
and hoses you’ve probably reached the conclusion that for the
safe and continuous operation of your vehicle, belts and hoses need
to be inspected regularly to insure their integrity…and your
continued mobility.
And you’re right…at Dallas Auto Sports, we recommend
changing all belts every four years, regardless of appearance. If
belt inspections reveal more than three cracks per inch on the grooved
underside of the belt, more than 80 percent of its service life is
gone and replacement is recommended.
So too with hoses…our recommendation is four years. This is
based on four years of field coolant tests on fleet vehicles by Gates
Corporation – a prominent manufacturer of automotive belts.
They identified the primary cause of coolant failure as an electrochemical
attack on the tube compound inside the hose. This phenomenon is known
as ElectroChemical Degradation (ECD). A replacement interval of four
years for all coolant carrying hoses, especially the upper radiator,
by-pass and heater hoses can help prevent unexpected failure from
ECD. By the way, the incidence of hose failure increases sharply
after 4 years.
A convenient way to remember to check belts and hoses is to have
it done at the start of each air conditioner season. When weather
necessitates A/C you can bet under-hood temperatures are headed in
a northerly direction. This can make short work of marginal belts
and hoses.
To schedule an inspection of all of your rubber components, including
tires, call Dallas Auto Sports at 214.320.2228.
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