How long can a car run without serpentine belt? A Step by Step Guide for 2023

Imagine you have gone on a road trip and the serpentine belt of your car has been broken. How miserable the situation would be! If you don’t even know how far your car can go without the serpentine belt, then you are doomed.

It may be overlooked, but when you face the worst, you know the value of the smallest information.

So, if you don’t want to be in that kind of situation, stick to this article to know how long can a car run without a serpentine belt.

The serpentine belt works in its way, and without it, your car may survive, but how long will depend on some factors. Generally, the serpentine belt has a warranty, and if it fails before the warranty expires, then it would be a premature failure.

Don’t be worried. I have all the information in this article. Just Bear with me!

FAQ- Frequently asked questions

1. Does the serpentine belt affect power steering?

Answer: The answer is YES! The serpentine belt affects the power steering of your car. When the serpentine belt fails, it causes the failure of the power steering of your car as well.

Besides, the alternator or the water pump can be ceased to work. Consequently, when all these things stop working, the engine of your car will also stop working, which means the car engine will fail ultimately. That is what happens!

2. How much does it cost to fix a serpentine belt?

Answer: It depends! How much a serpentine belt cost to be fixed depends on 3 factors such as make, model, and labor costs. But I can give you an average cost to let you get an idea in general.

So, replacing a serpentine belt will cost almost 70 to 200 dollars approximately. It is a general view. But yes, the taxes and fees are excluded here. In total, it will cost 70 to 200 dollars with taxes and other fees.

3. Does the serpentine belt affect the battery?

Answer: Yes, the serpentine belt affects the battery. But it does by doing a lot of failure of other staffs that keep the engine running.

The serpentine belt helps to run other things by transferring power, and it also keeps running the alternator and the steering system. If those fail by the serpentine belt’s failure, then it affects the battery.

4. Is the serpentine belt the same as the timing belt?

Answer: No, the timing belt is different from the serpentine belt. The differences can be identified by the grooves. A serpentine belt has grooves that are V-shaped, and these run with the belt vertically.

On the contrary, the timing belt is teeth designed that is horizontal. It is basically to get fitted with the cogwheels and camshaft.

5. What does a worn serpentine belt sound like?

Answer: If the serpentine belt wears out, the belt can sound like a squeak or squeal. The reason behind the noise is that there is no tension in that belt, or it is misaligned or may be weak.

The noise can be stopped if you replace the belt. But you don’t need to panic since it is no danger to you or your car.

6. What happens if the belt breaks while driving?

Answer: If the belt breaks while driving, your car will stop, and you won’t be able to drive your car. The belt breaks mean it is damaged, and you will need to repair it. It affects the engine, and the engine stops working as well.

How the serpentine belt works in the car

Before jumping into the main, let’s know how the serpentine belt works in your car. It is always good to know the basics first.

Because when you know about the core, you can find out the problem more easily, and then the solution will be easy for you as well.

Let’s see what is in this part for you to know!

The serpentine belt is necessary equipment for your car. The serpentine belt consists of a belt and a set of pulleys. This belt and the pulleys are connected to the crankshaft of the engine of your car. Here the real work starts.

So the thing is, in simple words, the power is transferred by the belt from the engine of your car, and it goes straight to some bunch of other things such as the cooling system of your car, alternator, heat, and air conditioning, the power steering, etc.

It is the sum-up process of the serpentine belt of your car. Just think, if the serpentine belt breaks, what will happen then?

I bet you have the answer now. If it breaks, then the car will be overheated. All the other staff will drain the battery; because they will need electricity to keep them on and to work for your car.

Ultimately the battery will die, and you will no longer be able to drive your car at the end!

That’s how the serpentine belt works, and that’s what happens if it breaks.

Let’s know the period of a car can run without a serpentine belt

You have known the basics, and now you have made it to the main part. Now you will know everything about your question. Let’s dive into the deep!

First off, there are several factors on which the timing of your car running depends. But I can tell you an average period.

Basically, without the serpentine belt, your car can run for at least 20 to 90 minutes. But as I stated before, this depends on other factors. It means the timing can be less or more, and we will tell you how you can know this!

Let’s know in what circumstances your car will behave differently without a serpentine belt.

In two types of weather, your car situation will react accordingly:

• Hot weather
• Cold weather.

On an extremely hot summer day, it is obvious that your car engine will be overheated. But without the proper cooling system, the engine will be overheated way faster, and eventually, nothing can reduce it.

So in this situation, without the serpentine belt, it is quite difficult for your car engine to hold back and run more. The period will be shortened in this kind of weather.

On the other hand, in the cold weather, the consequence is quite different from the summer days.

In the cold weather, if your battery is charged totally, then you will be able to find more minutes to keep your car running.

It means if you can have a fully charged battery, the engine will run even more than 90 minutes until the engine dies totally.

Basically, in this kind of situation, all you need is to get to the nearest mechanic to fix your car as quickly as possible. So, in the cold weather, you can save time!

Though it would be so tough to get the mechanic if your luck doesn’t save you, because the average timing will not work as well, it will be even less than that.

There is an additional note for you to keep in mind. In this kind of situation, you will not be able to use the fans, headlights, and other staff; because these will drain the battery faster. But you want to save the battery as long as you can.

All these things require much electricity to be worked for you, and all these will make your battery die quickly.

You should keep in mind that your steering wheel will not work properly. Rather it will feel much heavier. All you have to do is to drive your car to a place with that time so that you can fix it.

I think you have got your answer about how long you can drive with a broken serpentine belt.

Now all this information will stay with you in your mind, and it will help to keep you calm and do the right thing when you face the bad situation of driving a car without a serpentine belt.

Can I drive my truck with no serpentine belt ??

Final words

One little piece of information can save your entire day from being spoiled. Driving is not simple, and handling everything while driving makes it even more complex.

If you have ever been in a position where you cannot get any help and you don’t know what to do, that situation is way worse. If your serpentine belt is broken in the midway of going somewhere, this article will save you.

Therefore, I have spilled here about how you can drive with a broken serpentine belt and what action you should take at that moment. Hopefully, you will overcome such a situation quickly.

See Also:

• Checking the Why did My Serpentine Belt Break will be helpful as well.
• You can read about How to Fix a Broken Serpentine Belt?
• You also check our guide for How to Stretch a Belt Over a Pulley?