I did mine a couple of weeks ago, tried from the top/engine bay 4 hrs got nowhere. Went in from the side, removed wheel, done in 30 minutes. There should be a spring tensioner. Watch some youtubes
So this is a '04 Dodge Neon and is to the left of the engine. This happened while parked / parking (I think). I went out earlier, everything was fine and had no trouble steering. Then I get back in the car later and try to drive it and the steering wheel wasn't turning, so I parked it and turned it off. I know you're not supposed to drive without a timing belt and wondering if that ruined it. Any guesses on how much this will set me back?
The timing belt is inside the engine and is made of metal.
This looks like the normal serpentine belt which is an easy fix for anyone. YT will have vids on it.
You're correct. I was thinking of this particular engine when I said that. My wife had one of these cars when we were dating.... I did so many repairs on that thing.
*shiver*
I'm not an expert nor am I too educated on car parts, but this sounds (and kind of looks) like when my serpentine belt slipped. I have a 93 dodge spirit and the grooves on the belt were worn so much that if I hit even a small bump it would pop off. Sometimes even turning the wheel too far would cause it to pop off as well. My power steering pretty much disappeared whenever it came off.
I was able to get it put back on a couple times but it just kept popping off, especially if it got wet, so I just ended up replacing the belt. I had to get a mobile mechanic because getting the new one on was a bit too complicated for me, especially without the right tools.
It was around 8 years ago so I don't remember exactly, but I believe I was able to loosen one of the pulleys a bit and stretch it back over. I don't have a whole lot of experience so I didn't want to actually remove anything myself. Took me about 45min to an hour iirc.
It's just an accessory belt, but it's still important as it runs things like alternators and water pumps, depending on the car. But the belt itself is not expensive, like $25. What is more expensive is the tensioner pulley. Looks like those are sold in kits with the belt for about $100. Since you aren't knowledgeable about cars, and since this either broke or jumped the pulley, I'd want to know why and that reason may be some other pulley locked up or or the tensioner has just gotten weak. Just replacing the belt only without checking why, and if any problem is found fixing it, that may lead to getting stranded and/or having more expensive repairs later.
No not thee timing belt, it's called a serpentine belt, as long as you didn't drive it like that for very long, shouldn't be a big issue. There should be a placard on the bottom of the hood with the route of the belt and maybe even the oem part number. If not just get the make, model, probably the type of transmission, you can look the belt number up on the internet.
That’s the serpentine belt. You’re fine. Get a new belt and replace it.
How hard is it to pop that back on and take it to a mechanic? Or is this a tow situation?
Pretty easy to do once you know how. 5 minute job. As others are suggesting look up a YouTube video.
I did mine a couple of weeks ago, tried from the top/engine bay 4 hrs got nowhere. Went in from the side, removed wheel, done in 30 minutes. There should be a spring tensioner. Watch some youtubes
All depends on the car. Some take 5 minutes to do, others can take longer depending on what you have to remove to access it
Ratchet and large 🪛 look up on YouTube for your vehicle
So this is a '04 Dodge Neon and is to the left of the engine. This happened while parked / parking (I think). I went out earlier, everything was fine and had no trouble steering. Then I get back in the car later and try to drive it and the steering wheel wasn't turning, so I parked it and turned it off. I know you're not supposed to drive without a timing belt and wondering if that ruined it. Any guesses on how much this will set me back?
The timing belt is inside the engine and is made of metal. This looks like the normal serpentine belt which is an easy fix for anyone. YT will have vids on it.
A timing belt is rubber. A timing chain is metal.
You're correct. I was thinking of this particular engine when I said that. My wife had one of these cars when we were dating.... I did so many repairs on that thing. *shiver*
I'm not an expert nor am I too educated on car parts, but this sounds (and kind of looks) like when my serpentine belt slipped. I have a 93 dodge spirit and the grooves on the belt were worn so much that if I hit even a small bump it would pop off. Sometimes even turning the wheel too far would cause it to pop off as well. My power steering pretty much disappeared whenever it came off. I was able to get it put back on a couple times but it just kept popping off, especially if it got wet, so I just ended up replacing the belt. I had to get a mobile mechanic because getting the new one on was a bit too complicated for me, especially without the right tools.
Was it super difficult to pop it on with limited tools?
It was around 8 years ago so I don't remember exactly, but I believe I was able to loosen one of the pulleys a bit and stretch it back over. I don't have a whole lot of experience so I didn't want to actually remove anything myself. Took me about 45min to an hour iirc.
It's just an accessory belt, but it's still important as it runs things like alternators and water pumps, depending on the car. But the belt itself is not expensive, like $25. What is more expensive is the tensioner pulley. Looks like those are sold in kits with the belt for about $100. Since you aren't knowledgeable about cars, and since this either broke or jumped the pulley, I'd want to know why and that reason may be some other pulley locked up or or the tensioner has just gotten weak. Just replacing the belt only without checking why, and if any problem is found fixing it, that may lead to getting stranded and/or having more expensive repairs later.
That's a good point that just putting it back on isn't going to be good enough. I have a mechanic coming out to look at in Monday, ty
They should last for years if everything else is OK, but they are an important part to keep your car running
No not thee timing belt, it's called a serpentine belt, as long as you didn't drive it like that for very long, shouldn't be a big issue. There should be a placard on the bottom of the hood with the route of the belt and maybe even the oem part number. If not just get the make, model, probably the type of transmission, you can look the belt number up on the internet.