I would attempt to determine if the belt was shredded or snapped or burned through. The first could be from a loose pulley or misalignment or loose belt with rapid acceleration changes or fluctuations. Usually a rough idle wouldn’t do it, and if so then aggressive driving would do it even more. A stretched and snapped belt is from cheap belts, undersized/tight belts with a lot of power, cold/brittle belts, and thin belts for the power level. Burned through belts are from slip due to a loose belt, small pulley with high torque, or unrelated issue like a seized AC compressor or seized pulley.
There are some belts that are better than others for avoiding breaks or reducing squeal. The Gatorback belt removed squeal noise from a slight misalignment. The Continental no squeal belt has a surface material that also avoids squeal, even though it visual looks like a standard 6-rib v-belt. Some of the cheaper belts might stretch more or have poorer heat tolerances. If you live in a really dry climate then cracks can be more common requiring changes or rehydration with oil.
|