can someone explain to me how u know if a belt is going bad, my boy went to a "reputable tuner shop" today and got his car checked out, for some reason he was on idle for 10min in neutral and his car started to overheat.....then the guy said it could be ur belt and waterpump, my boy has 61k on his car and hasnt gotten the timingb elt chaged since he bought the car brand new.... id say its time, but how do u tell if a belt is going bad, he should me some tears and cracks in one of the belts, but i couldnt see the cracks, am i blind???

 

When a Civic overheats after idling for a while, that's almost always because the radiator fan isn't coming on, which has nothing to do with the belts.

The water pump is driven off of the timing belt, this belt has cog teeth on it so it can't slip, it either works perfectly or it is broken or stripped and the engine won't run at all. The timing belt is under a cover so you can't see it easily, even if you can see it it's hard to tell it's condition so it is best to replace it on a time and mileage schedule.

 

i apologize, its not a civic, its a 2002 mitsubishi lancer, dont know ur guys expertise on mitsubishi lancers lol

 

probably either a stuck thermostat or radiator cap

 

thanks for clearing that up guys, how do u tell if a belt is going to be needed to be changed soon, i see small little slits on the belt that the mechanic pointed out on the alternator and powersteering belt, does this need immediate attention or can it wait

 

If you see damage to your alt and ps belts, change them. They're lik 10 bucks a piece and require 5 minutes in the driveway..