Help Quick! Smoke coming out of engine bay!

LiquidOC · Mar 26, 2004

alright, there's smoke coming from the belt area of my talon (same one as listed on the left)

history: this morning, went out to start her up to go to school, heard wierd sound, shut the car off, got a ride to school from mommy. came home and looked in the engine bay to find out the belt was about halfway off the alternator pulley "ok, that's what that noise could be" decided i could fix it. tried pushing the belt back onto the pulley by hand, didn't work. so, i started it up after calling a few garages to get price quotes, and decided to just get all the belts done, she needs it anyway. started right up, noise was gone, figured i must have knocked whatever it was that was making noise back into place or whatever, so i put it into reverse and turned around in my driveway, looked back forward as i put it into first, and saw SMOKE coming out of my engine bay (&*^%&^%&^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) shut the car off and pushed it back into a parking spot, pulled up the e-brake and got out, proceeded to call towing company to get a price quote on towing with a rollback to garage of choice. decided to ask on here to see if i could just buy new belts/pulleys where needed and do it myself (how hard is it?) i won't start the car until i get new belts put on, and it's definetely not going anywhere unless it's being pushed or up on a rollback. any and all help is appreciated!

so, after reading the lengthy story, what does it sound like to YOU, the experienced DSM'ers? the belt that goes around the alternator is now frayed on the driver's side, and has a nice ridge coming up in the middle (i WILL NOT drive it, for fear of it going and taking the Timing belt along with it) once again, any and all help is appreciated!!!

Summary: car smokes, one belt frayed/ridged in middle, belt partially (about halfway) off the alternator pulley, WILL NOT drive it until i at least get that damn belt back on the ****ing alternator pulley.

THANKS!

LandoAWD · Mar 26, 2004

Check the crank pulley while a friend starts the car. See if it wobbles.

On a side note, please try to use a more descriptive title.

LiquidOC · Mar 26, 2004

I did do that after coming back on here to read a bit and to cool off from being so pissed off at the car (never work on a car pissed off, it only leads to more stuff to do) doesn't wobble, but the belt is pretty angled while it's coming off of it towards the alternator.

EDIT: thanks for the quick as hell reply, and topic changed as per your suggestion

Logue · Mar 26, 2004

replacing the belt is not hard at all. escpecially if you have those new craftsman ratchet wrenchs :thumb:

also look into getting a chiltons manual. there great help.

definitly check to see what lando said about the crank pulley.

LiquidOC · Mar 26, 2004

ok, had a friend try to start the car once i got home from work (I looked at the crank pulley with a huge maglight) looks solid as a rock, but the belt that comes off of the bigger part is crooked and passes over my alternator, where it is routed safely back onto the next pulley and onto the next. it's only partially off the alternator pulley, and i don't really have the tools to jack up my car in my stone driveway and adjust the tensioner and ****. any other ways to just kinda "push" the belt back onto the alternator pulley?

EDIT: pulled the fuel injector's fuse to make sure the car didn't start. i don't want more smoke coming off of that belt

crankbender · Mar 26, 2004

Ok the belt is fried but they are cheap and easy to fix. heres what ya need to do.

Cut the belt with some wire cutters (remember where it goes). Then try and rotate the alternator by hand...if it binds you need a new one. Then try the others

same deal. Start the car...should be no smoke and no noise.

Replace belt and ceased component. 2 hour max fix!!! cost 20 bucks for belt + $$ for other parts.

What probably happened is the belt either skipped because of a rock or ceased component and is now sliding over the pully instead of turning it. This is like tires pealing out and it makes noise

.

LiquidOC · Mar 26, 2004

now, the real question would be: is it safe to drive it without that belt?

EDIT: that way i don't have to pay for towing and can just drive it to the garage i want to go to (which is at max 4 miles away)

crankbender · Mar 27, 2004

don't waste the money at a garage. It takes like 3 sockets and a wratchet to loosen the alternator to get hte belt off. Are you really going to pay a garage all that money for a freakin belt or alternator?

And the answer is no because the belt also drives the water pump...you may have a seasec powersteering pump also. you will know all what is wrong after you do what i said and cut that old belt off (it is trashed already) and try and turn stuff by hand.

LiquidOC · Mar 27, 2004

ok...so...i live in a stone driveway area....what is the most viable way to jack up my car? i have ramps, but that include me driving, and i don't wanna drive it

would it be alright for me to drive it after i cut off the belt (just up onto the ramps?)

crankbender · Mar 27, 2004

yes if that solves the squeeling sound...just don't overheat the car.

LiquidOC · Mar 27, 2004

ok, cut the belt, took it into local autozone, got new belt. got underneath car to replace said belt, removed splash-gaurd or whatever it is next to the belt area to have easier access. noticed that the lowest 2 belt pulley was loose as all hell and it had another belt riding alongside of it (belt's part number is: ssa921f009gc ) this was the belt that was rubbing and smoking, and the worst part is, the lowest pulley (which i now assume was the crankshaft pulley, i'm such a dumbass) is able to be moved by hand without the bolt in the middle moving, and can rock back and forth from the engine to the fender. if the fender wasn't there, i'm certain that i could just pull this pulley off and leave the rest of the interior of it on! this can't be good.....

thanks!

crankbender · Mar 27, 2004

yes that big pully on the bottom is attached to the crank. That is your harmonic balancer. There should be some bolts holding it to the timing belt gear down there...those have either fallen off or sheared off because of the binding belt. Hope they fell off but I suspect they are sheared.

This has to be fixed....DO NOT START THE CAR. There is a possibility that you just have to replace the bolts (if they fell out or were never replaced...I have seen dumber stuff). If they sheared you will have to get them removed and maybe replace the timing belt pully they bolt to. I sincerely hope your crank is ok.

4 bolts grade 8. I hope somebody forgot to put those in one day and they didn't shear.... There should also be a guide pin so that the harmonic balancer can only go on one way.

LiquidOC · Mar 27, 2004

kinda late about not starting the car

oh well....what all problems could this make for me? also, it's like the outside part of the pulley is loose from the inside part (like where the belts ride is lose from where the big bolt is in the middle) how hard is that pulley to replace? also....wtf is it called?

xcelr8n · Mar 27, 2004

i have a slight feeling all your problems could have been avoided if you hadnt of driven the car.
same thing happened to me a week ago. belt lit up huge whining and lots of smoke.
i replaced the alt belt (dont pay a mechanic to do this) tensioned it improperly, and it squeeled some more. eventually got it tightened properly, and now it is ok.
i have a feeling what crankbender says is true, you sheared off those bolts, and now you may need a new crank pulley/harmonic balancer.
you said the belt was half off the alternator pulley, which means it was probably half off the crank pulley, (right where the bolt heads are.
thats probably how you sheared them, now you really have no choice, if you are mechanically incapable, you have to TOW it somewhere, and be prepared to pay for it.
if it is the crank pulley, you should be able to find one of a local dsmer or even a junkyard for under 75 bucks.
good luck, hope everything works out for ya.

LiquidOC · Mar 27, 2004

i only drove it about 3 feet after i noticed smoke coming out of the engine bay. (and that was up onto ramps after i had cut what i thought was the problem belt.) anyways, anyone else have an opinion on what all i could have done to my car?

xcelr8n · Mar 27, 2004

Originally posted by LiquidOC
i only drove it about 3 feet after i noticed smoke coming out of the engine bay. (and that was up onto ramps after i had cut what i thought was the problem belt.) anyways, anyone else have an opinion on what all i could have done to my car?

my bad, i understood it as, you drove it to autozone, etc.
in that case i take back some of what i said.

LiquidOC · Mar 28, 2004

sorry if that came out offensive or anything, just wanted to clarify for those who might not understand

LiquidOC · Mar 28, 2004

alright...did some searching around....is this actually called the "vibration dampener"? because i was searching around concielli (or whatever that name is) and that was all that i could find that was close to the location, but i can't find belts on there

any help is definetely appreciated.

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Help Quick! Smoke coming out of engine bay!

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