joerg65

My power steering failed after some spirited driving on the weekend and the culprit was a broken drive belt. I know this happens but I only installed a new belt about 18 months ago when I rebuild the motor (and PS pump). PS has been working fine up until a couple of days ago with no odd noises or any sign of a problem. Just wondering whether anyone else has experienced this so early in a belts life. Apart from a manufacturing defect in the belt, any ideas what may have caused this? I checked the the top cog and it spins smoothly. Anything else worth checking prior to just replacing the belt?

No_snivelling

It looks like the belt was rubbing on something before it broke. Or maybe that happened after it broke, hard to tell for sure.
I have heard of at least one case where the owner dropped a nut or two inside the casing and could not fish them out and just left them. Perhaps that is the case here and your spirited driving allowed a nut to jump up and jam between the belt and the casing?

Any chance you have or can borrow a flexible wand inspection camera so you can have a good look inside?

joerg65

Thanks for your suggestion. I had a quick look with a mirror and there’s a stud without a nut! Not sure if the picture shows it but there is blue locktite on the stud and it was assembled with the engine out and torqued correctly so I’m pretty disappointed it came loose.

I’ll take the metal plate off tomorrow and have a look for the nut and check the pulley is ok.

JohnK964

I don’t think that nut coming off would get into the belt unless the top cover was left off

Foxman

Wow, great call by No_snivelling. The Belt Whisperer.

joerg65

Yes, it would drop straight between the belt and lower pulley. Here are some pics from below.

I had a spare belt and have just got it back on …. now to get the nuts on. I’m thinking of using locking nuts this time.

Also, the plastic cover was on but the event managed to crack it off.

joerg65

Just to finish this topic off, I must have spent about 3 hours looking for the missing nut. It’s not easy with the engine in the car, there are lots of nooks and crannies in the housing. I used mirrors and a flexible inspection camera and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Anyway, as I was about to give up for the day, I found it on the engine tin near no. 4 spark plug. It must have been ejected from the casing either via the hole that’s near the no. 6 upper spark plug lead or pushed through between the casing and the plastic cover. I’m very relieved to have found it - now just waiting for some spare parts to get it back together.

JohnK964

my mistake I was thinking it was the top barrel nut that came off. Of course the bottom nuts will into the belt
I just did this job a month ago to get the bottom nuts on I used a 1/4 in drive rachett with a universal with tape on it to keep from flopping around then tape on the nut to keep it from falling out.

JohnK964

In addition to the ratchets and universal I pulled the engine tin at the back corner off The small one attached to the side engine tin

JohnK964

The cover with the red on it

joerg65

Thanks. Did you put these nuts in via the engine bay or from under the car? If it was from the top (which is what I was planning to do), just wondering why you removed this tin?

JohnK964

At the time I had very limited use of my left arm. I guess it was just the easiest way I could see to do it when reinstalling ever thing I first bolted the side and back tin together then again with my trusty 1/4 in and extensions to reinstall the nuts where that piece attaches to the back tin ( the one tween the trans and engine.

No_snivelling

Wow that looks like a tough job. I hope I never have to do it, but if I do I will be coming back to this thread for sure!
Was it hard to drive home with no power steering?

JohnK964

Might not make sense but I dropped the rear shock also to give myself better angles to work at to in another thread a guy stated he dropped the exhaust on the right side too

titleistaddict87

I just did this with the engine out and couldn't imagine having to do it with the engine in. Fingers crossed my belt and nuts are good!