water pump belt snapped! | FerrariChat

water pump belt snapped!

Discussion in 'Mondial' started by djs308, Aug 20, 2017.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. djs308

    djs308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 2, 2002
    1,100
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    David S.
    #1 djs308, Aug 20, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Just started up as normal this morning, but soon heard a slightly odd noise from the back. Checked the engine, which "seemed" ok. But after driving it a block I got some warning lights. Went right back home and took another look. That's when I noticed the belt had snapped cleanly. Hoping it's just the belt. But I'm expecting worse news with the potential that the water pump possibly seized/failed. Frustrating in that I had it changed out only 3 years ago! But we'll see how bad things are when I bring it over to my mechanic on Monday.

    Questions:
    1) Saw 2 warning lights: the "Battery" and "Brake Failure". Curious why those would pop on. Does that belt run to anything else (i.e.: alternator)?

    2) I did not see any leaking coolant. Would a seized pump cause the belt to fail completely?

    3) Can the car be driven (slowly) the 5 minutes to my mechanic with a disconnected pump? Or is a flatbed imperative?
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  2. braq

    braq Karting

    Mar 29, 2010
    225
    Hill Island
    Full Name:
    Paul XXXcX
    mine is a QV,
    it had 3 separate belts,
    water pump is Gates 7M630
    alternator is Gates 7M750

    so to answer your questions:

    1) there are configurations with one belt running water pump and alternator (and if I remember correctly AC compressor)
    2) could be, but also from aging, turn it by hand to find out
    3) watch the (water) temp, just take a break when it's past what you feel is right

    Water pump isn't that bad to change, pricing is okay, Cooling System Parts for Ferrari Mondial - Superformance

    but again, check first, you may

    i) just have to retension
    ii) replace only the belt

    and in general, why not make it a thing to carry spare(s) with you?

    Cheers
    Paul
     
  3. moysiuan

    moysiuan F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 1, 2005
    3,628
    Canada
    The bearing seal internally can leak internally destroying the bearing, you may not get any coolant leak to give warning of this. Your pump pulley in the picture doesn't look glazed like the belt ran on a seized pulley. Just see if you can reach in there and turn the pulley, if it turns smoothly than its ok.

    There is an idler pulley that tensions this belt, it may be the (2) small bearings in that pulley that have seized. They are not typically renewed as routinely.

    It is to the left of the pump pulley in your picture. You might also be able to reach it from the top and see if it turns freely. Getting a good look at this through the rear wheel well after removing the wheel and liner is the way to take a closer look at what happened in there.

    These belts are thin, with a plastic internal to give strength for their size. They can just snap, especially if it was tensioned a bit too much, and you revved the engine to its higher rpm from time to time. Sometimes Ferrari owners do this :)
     
  4. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    Water pump belts on a mondiap dont break after 3 years, so either it was too tight, the pump is tight or the idler bearings have locked up
    You dont want to be driving it to the garage, if its just the idler bearings its a diy fix, changing the pump is not easy as accesss to the 2 stub hoses and hose clips is tight.
    I changed mine without taking the top off the engine but you have to get on top of the engine to get to the hoses etc.
     
  5. djs308

    djs308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 2, 2002
    1,100
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    David S.
    thanks for the info! Hadn't considered the bearings. Wasn't able to pull the belt out as it seems to have wedged itself in there very tight. The car DOES have a long standing issue with the A/C compressor not holding a charge, but haven't gotten around to addressing that. Haven't used it at all in 2 years.

    The car drove quite well last week. Only noticed the belt issue immediately on cold startup.
     
  6. Meister

    Meister F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 27, 2001
    5,516
    Duluth, MN
    Full Name:
    The Meister
    a loose belt can burn up/off just as quickly as an overtight one.
     
  7. djs308

    djs308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 2, 2002
    1,100
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    David S.
    #7 djs308, Aug 21, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The car is now being checked out by my mechanic. Turns out it wasn't JUST the water pump belt that snapped, it's the other 2 accessory belts as well (A/C and Alternator)!! That explains the warning lights on the dash.

    One of the pulleys was being checked before I left. Possible worn bearing issue, but it wasn't seized. Will change it out regardless.

    It seems quite odd that THREE belts would snap/shred simultaneously. Any ideas what might have happened?

    So... more investigation to be done. Hoping to find out more in a day or two.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  8. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    When 1 goes it can get tangled up in the others, just be glad it did not get in with the cam belts
     
  9. Bell Bloke

    Bell Bloke Formula 3

    Dec 6, 2012
    1,839
    UK
    Don't drive the car. Water heats up very quickly in the block and you get hotspots inside the heads with no water circulation. Trailer it Fella.
    All the best Bell
     
  10. Alpintourer

    Alpintourer F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 20, 2013
    3,338
    The Low Country
    Full Name:
    Dave Steven
    Happened to me within hours of my taking delivery of my Mondial 3.2 Cabriolet. Car overheated so I had it towed to shop. Replaced belt, no problem after that. Seller was nice and covered costs.
     
  11. davem

    davem F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2002
    8,211
    Stepford, Connecticut
    Full Name:
    dave m
    This. My first Mondial seemed to eat belts.
     
  12. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    I had one for 20 years and never broke a belt, i used to do my own cam belts and aux belts every 3 years.
    The last time i did them i struggled as i was 20 years older and my back was telling me to get a modern car with a chain . Much easier now !!
     
  13. djs308

    djs308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 2, 2002
    1,100
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    David S.
    Quick Update: Just got the car back late yesterday. It now has 3 new belts and two new pulley bearings. Hoping to go out for a drive tomorrow and see how things go.
     
  14. braq

    braq Karting

    Mar 29, 2010
    225
    Hill Island
    Full Name:
    Paul XXXcX
    isn't that great? So much better than your initial assumption, congrats and would you be able to pinpoint why they went?
    Inquiring minds want to know...
     
  15. djs308

    djs308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 2, 2002
    1,100
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    David S.
    #15 djs308, Aug 28, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Oh quite so! I figure it's better to expect the worst but hope for the best. Unfortunately, we were not able to discover the source or reason for the belt(s) failure. I'm actually not even certain which belt went first. I only noticed the water pump belt because it's easy to see that one had snapped. But as someone else already mentioned, when one goes, it's common for that one to quickly interfere and ruin the other(s), due to proximity.

    Here it is relaxing, post 85+ mile leisurely cruise...
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  16. Bell Bloke

    Bell Bloke Formula 3

    Dec 6, 2012
    1,839
    UK
    Those Ferrari belts only have to slip a tiny bit and they melt, stick and snap. I changed mine out for the conventional bullet proof type that take a huge amount of punishment and don't snap.
    Regards Bell
     
  17. Mechanical Dad

    Mechanical Dad Formula Junior

    Aug 30, 2016
    381
    East Aurora NY
    Full Name:
    Josh
    What belts did you switch too? I removed the AC on my 8 and only run 1 belt now, but I was looking into making it a 2 belt set up like they offered as a kit in '84 for the qv.

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
     
  18. Bell Bloke

    Bell Bloke Formula 3

    Dec 6, 2012
    1,839
    UK
  19. johnireland

    johnireland F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 19, 2017
    7,762
    Los Angeles, CA
    Full Name:
    John A Ireland
    Inactivity is a car's worst enemy. Not driving the car for two years contributed to the belts failures. They get old just sitting there, like tires getting flat spots, the belts take the shape of how they are attached. When they get used after long inactivity, they have lost some of their elasticity and that causes failure. If your brake fluid has been sitting that long, you should consider changing that as well. And just sitting there didn't do you cam belts any good either. All that rubber was meant to be exercised...frequently.
     
  20. Bell Bloke

    Bell Bloke Formula 3

    Dec 6, 2012
    1,839
    UK
    Those Ferrari belts won't tolerate any kind of slippage at all. Normal belts can slip until they smoke and they still won't break. Unnoticed broken belt equals blown head gasket, if you are not lucky.
    Regards Bell
     
  21. djs308

    djs308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 2, 2002
    1,100
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    David S.
    Understood. But mine doesn't sit. I've driven it over 4k miles in 3+ years.
     
  22. johnireland

    johnireland F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 19, 2017
    7,762
    Los Angeles, CA
    Full Name:
    John A Ireland
    Sorry...I must have misread the post or confused someone else's comment with yours. I thought you had said you hadn't driven in in a couple of years. My mistake.
     

Share This Page