Hey There,

I had a belt snap today, the engine cut out and when i restarted it sounded pretty nasty. It still runs but i have lost powered steering.

I think it is just the belt connected to powered steering pump that has snapped
according to the recovery guy the tensioner looks shot and may have been the cause.

how hard or easy is this to repair?

 

umm...sounds like a timming belt and some bent valve action...

$2k etimation from a shop...

take some pics...gl!

 

I Don't think it is the timing belt as the engine still runs OK and can be driven. the noise is nowhere near as bad as it was when it happened but that is because i removed the broken belt although there is still some to be removed.

The belt that snapped is the wide grooved one that sits behind the narrower one at the front beside the radiator fan.

The only thing apparent that has failed is the powered Steering.

 

how can we possibly answer this question without knowing what the hell engine this is?

 

1.8 SE Petrol

 

It's the serpentine belt. Not a difficult repair really. Get your parts (you'll need to get coolant as well, since you'll be draining that) and look up the timing belt DIY procedure on www.audiworld.com or www.audidiy.com. It'll walk you through putting the car in service position and replacing the serpentine belt. You'll also get some ideas for other things to do while in there (maybe go ahead and do the timing belt/water pump/thermostat as long as the car is opened up). Do the snub mount too.

 

ya it's definitely the serpentine belt. very easy job on the 1.8t but don't drive your car for now. if you've driven the car until that belt has broken, i recommend you do the maintenances imthedevil suggested. take car of your car man, the chances of a serpentine belt breaking is very slim unless it was the original belt and you've never changed it.

 

Before replacing the serpentine belt, be extra careful and look behind the timing covers. the upper is easy, but it would be worthwhile to remove the lower as well to make sure no pieces of serpentine belt were wadded up behind the crank pulley and possibly destroying your timing belt. It sounds unlikely, but last year, our shop dealt with two 1.8t's that had this problem. Don't let it bite you in the *** just for the sake of time.

 

Thanks for all the replies and useful info.

I have not had the car long and had planned to spend a bit of money when I have the time to do quite a few maintenance repairs. even though it has a decent service history I think a lot of things have been negelected although this is the first thing to have gone really wrong.

However I think it looks little a little more work than I have time to tackle so I will give it to a mechanic. would anyone have an idea of the labour costs?

Thanks.

 

it can't be that hard replacing the belt on a 1.8t. i did it on a 2.8 where the serpentine belt circulates the whole front end of the engine without having to put it in service position. a mechanic who knows what they are doing on an audi will probably charge you at least and hour. the part is like 30 bux.