Alt/water pump belt ripped to shreds this morning
 

I just got off the interstate and I heard a loud popping sound and a few thunks. I thought it was the music skipping at first, then it happened again even with the music off. I'm starting to get worried. Rather than keep driving, I decided to pull over and check it out.

the belt had ripped and part of it was hanging. the water pump pulley had one bolt broken in half, and the other two were loose. I ended up pulling the belt apart to get it off (no knife or scissors), but now I'm in the situation of having no water pump belt on. I coasted to the office, starting up the car for short periods of time to get movement. When I parked it, water temps had risen to 219 F, while not ideal that shouldn't have hurt anything. I turned off the car, then turned it on again (ACC) to get the radiator blowing.

Since I'm not in a position to screw around with trial and error, does anyone know the exact specs of the water pump bolt? I don't want to buy one at an automotive store and have it be the wrong thread.

I also saw a few drops of coolant on the undertray. Everything looks in order (all the pulleys spin nicely, nothing is loose or wobbly), but the few drops of coolant worry me.

BTW, the belt only had about 3k miles on it. It still looks new (even though it's ripped apart)

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1231857944

Good thing it wasn't a timing belt. You could have bent a valve.

The loose/broken bolts caused the pully to wobble which caused the belt shredding and coolant leak. You will probably have to take one of the remaining bolts off in order to match it up. As for the coolant loss; pressure test the system after you get it back together.

def the problem maybe you should look into some aftermarket pullies while your replacing the water pump belt. just an idea

You are a comedian :)

I have the mazmart upgraded water pump. I have the most underdriven pulleys available for the car.

I replaced the shredded belt this morning, and installed 3 new water pump bolts. I also used loctite red so if this happens again, they don't wiggle loose if one breaks.

The only reason I didn't replace the other working belt was the replacement I bought was slightly too small. The edges are slightly frayed. I'll replace it tonight though.

btw, checked coolant levels this morning, it is normal. So I didn't add anything.

You use loctite red on the water pump bolts ?! Isnt the red the permanent stuff >?

it's not really perm. It's just higher strength than blue. I use red on my hood bolts too.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/produ...id=48&plid=154

lol my bad didnt know you had the upgrades. it was just a thought. when stuff starts breakin on my car thats when im gonna replace with aftermarket parts. but it isnt breakin fast enough which i guess is a good thing lol

yeah sounds like loose bolts cause it to wobble and break!....

btw....where did u get that rotor an housing??? From ur first engine???? looks new if it is!

So given the information presented here, what are the odds that there was any engine damage?

I coasted the car around a half mile. I switched off the engine during most of it. But like I said water temp rose to 219 F. Given the position of the water temp, how hot do you think the coolant was in other areas?

I drove the car around, feels normal, so I don't suspect any issues, but would like to hear feedback if anyone has it.

thats a rx7 housing. behind it is my original front iron. the two rotor housings off my car are in my garage. They are perfectly usable.

what mixture of coolant are u using? or are u using 100%water with water wetter? 219 is high but not something crazy....I think ur fine especially since u didn't keep driving it just coast and start a little should take alot more than that to hurt it!

yeah i remember watching the rebuild video and the rotor housing and rotors look good to b used...except the front housing with the crack of course! haha....that's a nice feature and conversation piece to have sitting on a table/desk!

I am running about 5-10% coolant, the rest is distilled water with a bottle of water wetter.

the coolant temp is almost always around 183 F

so ur lookin 36 degrees above normal for a very very short period of time i would think that it would b ok....i mean it's not like ur rode around for 20 min or so at 219 the coolant seals etc should def b able to hold a highER reading than usual I say u are fine!

the temp was climbing by 2's and 4's at a time. It might have been a bit hotter too as I had to start it up to go up a hill. So about 5 secs of throttle.

let me look something up in my school book.....Be right back with hopefully a better answer

I doubt you hurt the engine, I was out in Vegas with Jeff and I was at about 235 degrees and trying to go up a hill. (granted the pump was turning but you get the idea)

I think if you'd have hit 240-250 then maybe it would be damaging.

I don't think you would have gotten this hot. And if my engine can survive this multiple times, and still have 120 compression across the board.
I think your OK. :eyetwitch

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...rheating03.jpg

ok a 10:90 ratio water:coolant yields about a 221 degree boiling point
3 degrees per 1 psi of pressure(from pressure cap) so 11x3 is 33
plus however much water wetter is supposed to help
221+33=254degree boiling point + the yield of water wetter

so you were a good 39 degrees away from boiling which is really what cooks coolant seals and starts to really damage the cooling system....

So a quick jolt up to 219 is ok of course if u were driving on this temp all the time surly would damage some seals eventually but as long as u didn't see it up to something crazyk like 230 240 or higher it should b ok....I know i've seen mine (yes on the idiot guage) get above half and amost 3/4 on the gauge one time and everything is ok!

btw, I have a 0.13Mpa radiator cap.

I feel lucky that I can always count on the guys from AZ to make me feel better! I was actually thinking about your coolant temps, but more along the lines of "If the coolant reads 219, maybe there are localized hot spots far hotter"

^haha yeah the AZ guys I'm sure will always come back with some hotter temps....

thought i had a 11psi cap but u get the idea i suppose!

I suppose it's possible for the engine to get a bit warmer just before the exhaust port compared to right after the intake ports. Considering the short distance you drove the car I wouldn't worry about anything.
In the summer here 220 is normal operating temperature. :banghead: