Serpentine Belt problems!

96GreenLX · 12-27-2008, 07:25 PM

Today my two serpentine belts came completely off while I was driving. I had no idea what the noise was till I checked under the hood to notice that they were gone. I bought the two belts and replaced them and when I went to drive again I heard the noise when the old ones came off. Sure enough the new ones came off. Any ideas as to why this happened?

Here is a list of what I think might be the problem!

1. To tight as I might have tightened them to much, but how would they pop off?
2. Wrong belts were given to me at advance. They did fit though, however the one for the alt pwr steering was a bitch to get on as the alt didn't go down far enough for me put it on easily. (Is this common?)
3. Maybe I didn't tighten the pulley bolts down enough, however I felt like I used enough force as to tighten them further force would have required me to use my body weight.
4. Could I possibly have a bad pulley?

Any help or input would be greatly appreciated! The car is a 96 Impreza LX with the 2.2. Thanks

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Mulder · 12-27-2008, 07:40 PM

Make sure all the pullies are aligned properly, turning normally and not damaged. Since both belts came off I'd suspect a problem with the crank pulley since it's common to both of them. Watch it as the engine runs and see if it's wobbling/loose/bent. Look over the grooves for any damage.

96GreenLX · 12-27-2008, 07:53 PM

Could the crank pulley come loose? I didn't think to check the pulleys before installing the belts mainly because I never had to replace a belt before. I didn't get to check the belts after the installation because it was dark however my dad was there and after they came off he believes the crank pulley looked like it had a wobble to it. Would a wobbly pulley be a bad one? Thanks for the help!

Mulder · 12-27-2008, 08:22 PM

The pulley shouldn't wobble. If it does it may be bent or loose. Could just be a loose bolt, but if it's been running that way for a while the bolt and threads may be damaged as well as the keyway that holds the pulley in position. If you do find it to be loose, take it off and inspect everything. Take a good look at the keyway and threads in the crank.

96GreenLX · 12-27-2008, 08:36 PM

Thanks again Mulder, I'll have to give that pulley a look tomorrow hopefully it's not damage and comes off or even better I can just slap the belts on cause I missed something dumb.

96GreenLX · 12-28-2008, 10:21 AM

Well the Crank Pulley was extremely loose only a few turn by hand and I had the bolt out! It appears the key on the crank is bent and busted is this fixable within price?

Sudafed · 12-28-2008, 10:35 AM

yikes. im not sure about that. you're going to need to remove the timing belt and get the crank sprocket off, if it does come off with a bent/damaged key. it may require a new crankshaft in the worst case scenario.

avk · 12-28-2008, 11:05 AM

More about this problem be found at ultimatesubaru.org where they deal mostly with "old school". They also mention a place that sells a kit with modified parts, in which the pulley and the t. belt sprocket are connected with a pair of roll pins. But at least part of the keyway needs to be usable. Inspect the crankshaft "snout" as has been said.

96GreenLX · 12-28-2008, 11:51 AM

The crank shaft appears fine from what I can see. The key just bent as the crank pulley cannot be placed back on and I can't get the crank sprocket off because of the key. Currently I'm trying to get the key off been chiseling and the jigsaw might come in play but I'm avoiding that. Any ideas on how to get the key off I can take a picture and post if needed. Thanks again

12-27-2008, 07:25 PM	#1
96GreenLX Scooby Newbie Member#: 60073 Join Date: Apr 2004 Vehicle: 1996 Impreza LX Green	Serpentine Belt problems! Today my two serpentine belts came completely off while I was driving. I had no idea what the noise was till I checked under the hood to notice that they were gone. I bought the two belts and replaced them and when I went to drive again I heard the noise when the old ones came off. Sure enough the new ones came off. Any ideas as to why this happened? Here is a list of what I think might be the problem! 1. To tight as I might have tightened them to much, but how would they pop off? 2. Wrong belts were given to me at advance. They did fit though, however the one for the alt pwr steering was a bitch to get on as the alt didn't go down far enough for me put it on easily. (Is this common?) 3. Maybe I didn't tighten the pulley bolts down enough, however I felt like I used enough force as to tighten them further force would have required me to use my body weight. 4. Could I possibly have a bad pulley? Any help or input would be greatly appreciated! The car is a 96 Impreza LX with the 2.2. Thanks * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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12-27-2008, 07:40 PM	#2
Mulder Trust no one Moderator Member#: 11170 Join Date: Oct 2001 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: NYC Vehicle: 02 WRX 05 GTO/11 Sonata(!)	Make sure all the pullies are aligned properly, turning normally and not damaged. Since both belts came off I'd suspect a problem with the crank pulley since it's common to both of them. Watch it as the engine runs and see if it's wobbling/loose/bent. Look over the grooves for any damage.

12-27-2008, 07:53 PM	#3
96GreenLX Scooby Newbie Member#: 60073 Join Date: Apr 2004 Vehicle: 1996 Impreza LX Green	Could the crank pulley come loose? I didn't think to check the pulleys before installing the belts mainly because I never had to replace a belt before. I didn't get to check the belts after the installation because it was dark however my dad was there and after they came off he believes the crank pulley looked like it had a wobble to it. Would a wobbly pulley be a bad one? Thanks for the help!

12-27-2008, 08:22 PM	#4
Mulder Trust no one Moderator Member#: 11170 Join Date: Oct 2001 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: NYC Vehicle: 02 WRX 05 GTO/11 Sonata(!)	The pulley shouldn't wobble. If it does it may be bent or loose. Could just be a loose bolt, but if it's been running that way for a while the bolt and threads may be damaged as well as the keyway that holds the pulley in position. If you do find it to be loose, take it off and inspect everything. Take a good look at the keyway and threads in the crank.

12-27-2008, 08:36 PM	#5
96GreenLX Scooby Newbie Member#: 60073 Join Date: Apr 2004 Vehicle: 1996 Impreza LX Green	Thanks again Mulder, I'll have to give that pulley a look tomorrow hopefully it's not damage and comes off or even better I can just slap the belts on cause I missed something dumb.

12-28-2008, 10:21 AM	#6
96GreenLX Scooby Newbie Member#: 60073 Join Date: Apr 2004 Vehicle: 1996 Impreza LX Green	Well the Crank Pulley was extremely loose only a few turn by hand and I had the bolt out! It appears the key on the crank is bent and busted is this fixable within price?

12-28-2008, 10:35 AM	#7
Sudafed Scooby Newbie Member#: 70090 Join Date: Sep 2004 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: New Hartford, CT Vehicle: 2002 2.5 RS Silver	yikes. im not sure about that. you're going to need to remove the timing belt and get the crank sprocket off, if it does come off with a bent/damaged key. it may require a new crankshaft in the worst case scenario.

12-28-2008, 11:05 AM	#8
avk Scooby Specialist Member#: 17252 Join Date: Apr 2002 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: NJ Vehicle: '06 WX8 59E	More about this problem be found at ultimatesubaru.org where they deal mostly with "old school". They also mention a place that sells a kit with modified parts, in which the pulley and the t. belt sprocket are connected with a pair of roll pins. But at least part of the keyway needs to be usable. Inspect the crankshaft "snout" as has been said.

12-28-2008, 11:51 AM	#9
96GreenLX Scooby Newbie Member#: 60073 Join Date: Apr 2004 Vehicle: 1996 Impreza LX Green	The crank shaft appears fine from what I can see. The key just bent as the crank pulley cannot be placed back on and I can't get the crank sprocket off because of the key. Currently I'm trying to get the key off been chiseling and the jigsaw might come in play but I'm avoiding that. Any ideas on how to get the key off I can take a picture and post if needed. Thanks again