1999 Corolla Serpentine Belt

[shawn99corolla]

What does the serpentine belt control on a 99 corolla? The serpentine belt in my car has little cracks in it. Is this normal? And how much can I expect to pay for replacement? If going bad does it affect overall performance? As always thank you guys.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

The serpentine belt literally runs every accessory on the engine. The alternator, water pump, air conditioner and power steering. If and when it were to break, you'd lose the power steering immediately and the steering wheel would suddenly be difficult to turn. This could be very dangerous if you happened to be going around a turn when the serpentine belt broke. Also, the water pump would no longer spin and the engine coolant would no longer circulate. The engine would then overheat within just a few minutes, with steam pouring out from under the hood. This would leave you stranded on the side of the road somewhere. In other words, if the serpentine belt snaps, it can really ruin your day.

Tiny cracks are considered normal, however if there seems to be a lot of them and the serpentine belt has a lot of miles on it, for preventative maintenance purposes it might be best to replace it. Look for any deep cracks in the belt that allow the fiber inside the belt to show. Look for deeper cracks or holes on the outside of the belt too, (the flat side), and if you find wear and tear like that, the belt should be replaced, before it snaps.

Although the serpentine belt is a very important part, it's usually not too hard to replace either.

If your Corolla is equipped with air conditioning, Advance Auto Parts has a quality Dayco serpentine belt for you for only $24.99 -

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...rchTerm=dayco+serpentine+belt+&zoneAssigned=1

If your Corolla is not equipped with air conditioning, the serpentine belt has a different part number but is still just $24.99.

Here is a 3 minute video that shows you how to replace the serpentine belt. If you have some tools, it's not that hard of a job. Be sure you take pictures, or draw a picture of the routing of the serpentine belt before, so when you replace it you have something to reference so you can get the replacement belt routed on the correct pulley's. Replacement time is about 15-20 minutes.

If you pay an auto center to replace the serpentine belt for you, you'll probably be looking at $75 - $100, maybe a bit more. If you don't want to replace the serpentine belt yourself, look in your phone book Yellow Pages, (remember that? lol), and call around to various auto centers in your area for a price. I strongly, strongly recommend you specify that you do not want a cheap made in China serpentine belt. Pay a couple of dollars more for a quality serpentine belt as it will give you peace of mind that it's not going to snap prematurely, leaving you high and dry. Dayco is a quality belt. The original equipment serpentine belt from your local Toyota dealer is also a quality part.

If your Corolla has over 100,000 miles on it and the serpentine belt tensioner has never been replaced, then that too should be replaced before it fails. It's a normal wear and tear item. If and when it fails, it can destroy the brand new serpentine belt.

Advance Auto Parts lists a serpentine belt tensioner for your Corolla for $116.99 -

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...er-89356/20130223-P?searchTerm=belt+tensioner

Below is a video on how to replace the serpentine belt tensioner -

Another -

I hope that helped you out.:thumbsup:

 

[shawn99corolla]

Thank you very much for the detailed description and information. I appreciate you taking the time to explain throughly. Quick question, what are your thoughts on the gates brand belt? Would you recommend it? I don't believe it's Chinese made. My mechanic would do it for $90 that includes the gates brand serpentine belt and labor. I don't have the tool and don't feel I am mechanically inclined.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

My pleasure. I enjoy helping people with their vehicles.

Gates is excellent and is a step up from Dayco in my humble opinion. :thumbsup:

Call around to different auto centers for price quotes, as they can differ quite a bit from auto center to auto center.

 

[shawn99corolla]

Thanks Scott. I went a head and got the Gates micro v at serpentine belt installed and happy with it. Since you have been very helpful so far let me get your expertise on a different matter. my Corolla has almost a hundred fifty thousand miles on it. I just bought the car 3 months back and I don't know if the timing chain has ever been changed so the question is how do you know when you're due for a new timing chain are there symptoms that I should be looking for? and how often do they need to be changed on a 99 Corolla? Thank you in advance.

 

[Donabed Kopoian]

Chains do not need to be replaced. They will last the life of the engine and then some. If you have unusual noise coming from the timing chain, it is generally the chain tensioner or a worn guide that is the problem.