Drove several miles with a snapped serpentine belt, did I ruin my engine?
Driving with a snapped serpentine belt cuts off crucial functions like the water pump and alternator, risking severe overheating depending on how far and how long you drove. To verify if damage occurred, check your temperature gauge history and inspect the engine for signs of overheating or coolant leaks.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Replacing the belt and checking pulleys for seizure
- 2Inspecting for overheating symptoms or coolant loss
- 3charging the battery after running on battery power
- 4checking the temperature gauge to see if it overheated
- 5keeping an eye on coolant levels and listening for new rattles
- 6checking the tensioner and spinning the pulleys
- 7Watching it run to see if anything looks out of place or rubbing
- 8Waiting for a new tensioner to come in while continuing to drive
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My serpentine belt snapped on my way home from work last night. Drove 12 miles and it snapped after 6. Engine was cold from start and ambient temp was 14C°. Did i fuck up the engine?”source ↗
“Is this normal after one day of install? Serpetine belt”source ↗
“How bad would it be to keep driving for a day while I wait for the new tensioner to come in? Or will that completely ruin the belt?”source ↗
“My serpentine belt snapped on my way home from work last night. Drove 12 miles and it snapped after 6 and i drove it for 10 min. Engine was cold from start and ambient temp was 14C°. Did i eff up the engine? Its a 1nd-tv”source ↗
“Squeeked for 2 days and then came apart.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why is my brand new serpentine belt still squeaking?
- 13Why am I paying for broken bolts during a car repair?
- 8How to tell if a worn timing belt actually needs replacing
- 2Is a car totaled if the engine moved?
- 2How to learn car engine repairs like timing chains and flywheels
- 6Why does my new air intake hose keep ripping in the exact same spot?