<VV> Houston - we have a problem!!! Corvair related

[BobHelt at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/13/2006 2:50:46 PM US Mountain Standard Time,  
ilikeoldcars at bellsouth.net writes:

We got  about 5 miles down the road and I looked in my rear view mirror  and  
there was smoke coming from the engine compartment.  Looked at my dash  and 
the GEN light was bright red.  I immediately turned the engine off  and coasted 
to a stop.  I got out and checked the engine compartment and  sure enough the 
belt had come loose.  I just checked it yesterday and it  had very little 
play.  I didn't have any tools with me so I had a tow  truck bring it home.  

My question is this? Did I damage my motor?  Why would the belt have come 
loose if it was tight yesterday?  What  should I do now? 


Hi Roger,
Sorry to hear about your problem. I suggest that you just replace the belt  
and drive the car for a while. That will tell you of the engine condition. Most 
 likely it will be all right.
 
But I do have a couple of concerns. When you checked the tightness of  the 
belt, did you also check the belt's condition too? Frayed or twisted belts  
should be checked and replaced. Tightness isn't always a measure of the belt's  
remaining life.
 
Was the belt really just loose when this happened? That is...was the belt  
still in place on the pulleys then? That is what your statement tells me. If  
that is true, then I suspect the tension adjustment  pulley and bracket  were 
not tightened down properly. Something to check. Most of the time belts are  
just thrown.
 
Also, the #1 rule for Corvair drivers is to ALWAYS carry a spare belt (or  
two) and the tools to change it. You never know when a belt will go, and you  
need to be prepared.
 
There are several causes for thrown belts, if that was your problem. If  
so,then check for a bad blower bearing by rotating the blower-fan with your  
finger (no belt installed) and watching how it comes to a stop (both  directions). 
If it slows slowly and comes to a smooth stop, it's probably OK.  But if it 
stops fast or rotates backwards after stopping, the the bearing is  probably bad.
 
Lastly, you said the GEN dash lite was on. The TEMP one should have been on  
too. That's another problem........
 
Regards,
Bob Helt