My first major breakdown in my FB happened today. She's been dead nuts reliable, and today's breakdown wasn't her fault. I have a feeling that what happened was from a previous mechanic...

I was about 1.5 miles into my daily commute when all of a sudden, all my idiot lights came on at once. Thinking that it was just a malfunctioning dashboard, I continued on my merry way, watching my gauges just in case something was wrong. Something was definately wrong. I noticed about 2 minutes later that my temp. gauge was rising at an alarming rate and I was running on the battery only. I was perplexed. I did not hear a belt snap, let alone 2 (i'm running a double pulley setup).

I pulled into a parking spot, shut her down (temp. gauge just touching 1/2) and popped the hood. The belts were still on, yet they had no tension. I thought that I didn't get the bolts for my new alternator tight, so I grabbed the alt. and gave it a pull, and it was mounted solidly. Now things were getting weird.

I then grabbed both belts, which mind you were slack, and moved them off of the alternator pulley toward the radiator. Only now did I see the real problem. All four bolts holding the e-shaft pulley were gone, and my pulley was hanging precariously by the two belts. I carefully removed the pulley, placed it and my belts in my car, and walked to the hardware store to purchase new bolts and locktite.

All in all, I ended up being 1:45 late for work after getting the bolts, letting her cool while eating doughnuts at the local bakery, then not even making it back to the house before she got too hot for comfort (1/2 gauge again), fixing her (with locktite this time), showering, and driving the 20 minutes into work.

 

Excellent recovery. Another reason to drive a 7, even a major breakdown can be fixed on the roadside.

Nice work Whitey!

 

Thanks Ray. Not quite road side because I didn't have tools with me, but easy fix.

 

nice! I shudder to think how this would have played out in my old SHO or worse yet, my mother's van!

 

That's one for the books. Not really a "breakdown" as much as a snafu. Can't blame the horse if it throws a loose shoe.

 

My thoughts were "wow, i'm glad that I don't have a piston engine that used a serpentine belt to run everything, including the cam(s)". Bonus points for the Wankel.

 

lol locktite ftw

 

I hope you didn't damage your motor by driving it that way. No belt means no water pump, so things would get very hot very fast. Good luck.

 

I watched my temp gauge like a hawk. When it hit 1/2 of the gauge i shut it down.

 

Yep, I read that. Problem is, with no water flowing through the system, how accurate can the guage be? You're probably fine, I'm just in a Doom and Gloom sort of mood today.

 

I remember something like that happening to me, but I snapped the alternator belt, and still drove the 10+ miles with the yoohoo belt!

Double sleeved pullys are dooooooom

 

Where does the temperature gauge take it's reading from? I thought it was somewhere on the block itself, as that would be the most accurate representation of the engine's temperature.