dugword Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 This is my first post, and I am very new to car repairs. I have a '92 loyale, that recently died on me. After looking under the hood I noticed the two front belts ( I believe they are the timing belts) have come loose. One connects to the alternator and the other connects to several other gears, but they both connect to the radiator fan. The radiator fan now hangs loose and I can move it around a lot with my hand. Is that normal if it is not supported by the two belts that are supposed to run underneath it? Or do I have some sort of broken shaft? I would like to know if putting the belts back on might fix this problem, or if I am in a world of hurt with a more serious issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 It sounds like the water pump has failed - the mechanical fan should have NO play in the shaft with or without the belts attached. You should be able to spin the fan, but not move it on it's shaft. Those are not the timing belts - they are the accesory belts. They run the power steering pump, the alternator, and the water pump. As well as the air conditioning if your car is equipped. Are the belts broken or just loose? If they are loose it's probably because the water pump is gone. When you move the fan do the belt pulley's (where the belts contact) move with it or does just the fan move? Also - you should post where you are located so members in your area can offer assistance if they are so inclined. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugword Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Thanks for the reply, The belts are not broken and don't have any cracks. They are completely loose and I can take them on and off the gears. The belts have come off the radiator fan, and it hangs forwards. The fan appears to have been grinding against the radiator. The plastic fan edges are chewed up, and the radiator has a circular indentation from the fan. When I move the fan it moves freely several inches in all directions. The car died when I was driving down a highway, I heard a horrible grinding sound and I saw a lot of white smoke/steam. I pulled off to the side immediately and got towed home. I live in Scappoose, OR. It's outside of Portland, OR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Sounds like either the fan came off the front of the water pump (which grinds the fan into the radiator... how do I know that ), or the water pump shaft massively failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) Yeah - total water pump failure - I've seen it before. Basically you will need to do a whole timing belt job. Replace the timing belts, water pump, reseal the oil pump, and new front main and cam seals. The entire kit with the belts, idler, and both tensioners can be had on ebay for cheap. The labor is about 3 to 6 hours depending on experience. You will want someone that's experienced with EA82's as the dual-timing belt arrangment is unusual and a lot of mechanic's have a hard time with it. If you want to tow it to West Linn - just south of Portland, I could do the job for $200 plus parts. Typical shop rate for a timing belt job runs about $500 - I can save you about half that. If it needs a radiator, those are about $120 new. I don't like to use used one's as these cars already have small cooling systems. Another possibility - I have a friend that regularly travels through your area and also has a car trailer. For a small amount of gas/hookup money he would be happy to bring it here. GD Edited February 7, 2010 by GeneralDisorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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