Mitsubishi Eclipse 3G Club banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Alternator belt fell off after bump, dim lights, battery and brake light on - help needed.

Jump to Latest
1 - 17 of 17 Posts

Grinchy

· Premium Member
Joined
·
249 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Last night in the rain, i heard and felt a bump, almost like i ran over something. Well I noticed that the inside lights were a little dim, and the battery and brake light was on. The brake light would brighten up with I pulled the ebrake, and would just dim a bit when i would release it. I didn't know what was up, and had to drive on it for a litttle while, as I was quite far from my apt. Well when I arrived at my apt. the lights were starting to get pretty dim, and so were my headlights. I got a flashlight to see what the problem was, and i noticed a belt had fallen off. It was the belt that goes to the alternator. I didn't think the car could run off the alternator, or is my batter just holding up that well. How could my belt have just fallen off. There seemed to be a little gouge mark on the pulley where the belt is suppose to be, so maybe something knocked it off? Can I put it back on without having to take it to the garage to have someone do it for me. I need my car, and everyone is closed for the weekend. Thanx guys.

-Mike
 
#2 ·
Auto Zone sells new belts, which is what I'd get. You need to check the pulley closer to see if it is damaged as well, It is a straight forward job to get the belt on/off, so you can do it yourself as long as you have a small socket set.
 
#4 ·
Well, if the belt looks to be good shape and not stretched out, you can still use it, but if you have a lot of miles on it already, I'd change it. Most importantly, you need to try to figure out why the belt came off in the first place.
 
#5 ·
hey grinchy..id head off to autozone and pic up a belt and of course examine the tensioner while ur at it..get it all over with befor u end up strand d somewhere and end up butt meat.. ;) JK

there should be alot place s open this weekend cept the
motor shops..but most retail place s like autozone and kragen s
will be begging for u money
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
it looks as if there is a scratch or groove on the pulley......the belt seemed fine, and it was raining real hard and it felt like i drove over something.....thats the only thing i can say. Other than that I have no idea. My belt has been yelling like a banshee lately and its getting on my nerves.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
just went out and tried to put the belt back on.....its still drooping maybe 3 - 4 inches....i dont think i missed a pulley, and im not sure how to check my tensioner :oops: but if its drooping that bad....i must have missed something
 
#16 ·
Read the manual for belt changes its here do a search.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #17 ·
a search didn't really come up with anything that i needed...but i forgot i had the service manual downloaded...and i think i understand what i need to do....sorry for the inconvenious

and i did do a search before i even posted this

thanx

-Mike
 
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
About this Discussion
16 Replies
5 Participants
Last post:
Grinchy
Mitsubishi Eclipse 3G Club
posts
2.8M
members
51K
Since
2004
A forum community dedicated to Mitsubishi Eclipse 3G owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, turbos, engine swaps, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Vehicles & Parts Classifieds Members Rides Problem Reports New Member Introductions 3G Eclipse GT/GTS Specific