When it comes to vehicle maintenance, many drivers rarely think about the hoses and belts within the engine. Hoses carry vital fluids to maintain vehicle systems and keep your vehicle running safely and effectively. Belts are critical components of your vehicle’s engine that provide power to various parts. In this month’s blog, we explain the importance of hoses and belts, and ways to keep them maintained to avoid engine problems.
What are hoses?
Your vehicle is comprised of many different hoses that carry fluids to and from important engine components. Some of the more familiar hoses include:
- Air Intake Hose: The air intake hose starts the air intake system by carrying oxygen into the engine to blend with fuel and create internal combustion.
- Heater Core Hose: The heater core hose works with your vehicle’s climate control system to allow for warm coolant to heat the air that enters your vehicle cabin.
- Radiator Hose: The radiator hose is essential for bringing the coolant from the radiator to maintain engine temperature.
- Brake Hose: The brake hose helps to deliver brake fluid from the brake lines to the calipers to enable the brakes to operate effectively.
Hoses are flexible rubber tubes that are designed to handle high temperatures of the fluids that they transport. Hoses can wear out over time and crack, break, or become loose. When a hose fails, it usually results in a major fluid leak within the engine and may impact the ability to operate the vehicle.
What is a belt?
The belts inside your vehicle’s engine are typically made of rubber and designed to be flexible for bending and frequent motion. They connect to shafts and belt tensioners to provide motion and power to various components of the vehicle. The more common belts include:
- Serpentine belt: The serpentine belt gets its name from the winding path that it takes through your engine. This belt powers the air conditioning compressor, along with various pumps and fans.
- Timing Belt: The timing belt serves the purpose of ensuring that the vehicle’s pistons are synchronized in their up and down motion. Some vehicles may have a timing chain, rather than a rubber belt to handle this function.
Vehicle belts are subjected to a lot of friction and continuous motion. This can cause them to become loosened, or the properly set tension can be compromised. While they are strong rubber, belts can be affected by wear and tear and may crack, tear, or break from temperature or tension extremes.
Hose and Belt Maintenance
Hoses and belts usually do not need frequent replacement or repair. There are two ways to keep on top of their maintenance and make sure that any failure is not impacting vehicle operation.
- Hoses and belts should be inspected periodically for damage or wear. Many times, failing belts will make sounds while the engine is running. A service professional can do a visual inspection of your hoses and belts to determine if there is a problem.
- Ongoing fluid fills and replacement are helpful to maintaining the hoses and belts. Keeping your fluids clean and filled can ensure longevity for your hoses and belts.
If you have concerns about your hoses or belts, or have not had them inspected in a while, contact us at Car Kings to schedule an inspection. We will look over your vehicle and provide you with any recommendations for repair or replacement.