How do you know if your supentine belt needs to be replaced?

I just got my oil changed and was told that I need mey surpentine belt changed. How do I know if that is true and I am not being upsold?



Do I need someone to tighted stering rods or is it something I can do myself?How do you know if your supentine belt needs to be replaced?Inspect it for worn spots, check to see if the backing is broken anywhere, if there is a bump ona wear on it, then it should be replaced. Do not worry if the ridges are cracked, that is normal, only worry if it looks dry-rotted or pieces of the ridges are missing between the cracks.How do you know if your supentine belt needs to be replaced?Things to look for are cracks and splits, glazing, peeling, greasy buildup and splitting or missing sections on the serpentine belt. Best bet is to go to a good alignment shop and let them check over the front end.How do you know if your supentine belt needs to be replaced?Hi, The serpentine belt should be replaced if it is glazed bad, cracked deep in the grooves, like to the top edge of the belt(with the groove part being the bottom of the belt), or contaminated with oil/grease. Also check the Tensioner if it has an automatic(spring loaded) type. It should be able to retract and apply pressure without binding through the motion.



As far as for the steering linkage, if there is looseness in the actual ball sockets of the joints, then they are not able to be %26quot;tightened%26quot;. According to some state inspection requirements,ANY play or movement in an inner tie rod on a rack and pinion type steering is considered bad. Outer tie rods (or inner tie rods on a conventional type steering linkage) can have slight play and still be passable on a state inspection. However ANY linkage movement that is not controlled in going to cause alignment issues and tire wear depending on the severity of the movement.

I am a Missouri State Inspector and have been doing inspections since 1984.

Hope this helps ease your mind....How do you know if your supentine belt needs to be replaced?That in most cases is a very good question.The belt can and is very common to have cracks in the parts that go in the grooves.Not to worry about these little cracks unless they are all the way across and in line.Any fraying on the outer surface should be changed but these belts do last a long time even if they are oily and cracked.

Steering rods cannot be tightened;only replacement ends are available and can be adjusted.