I was in my 2000 Dodge Caravan, just filled up, then went through a car wash. After I got out of the car wash, I noticed that my steering wheel was very tough to steer. Then my temp gage maximized. I had to stop. I popped the hood and I heard what sounded like boiling water. What is going on??
2007-02-05 15:54:59 · 5 answers · asked by physical_graffiti402 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Sounds like the serpentine belt was slipping, snapped, or fell off. If it did come off, the car would die after about 30 to 60 seconds since the alternator would not be working. The car will overheat because the water pump stops. This happened to me with my in-laws in their Caravan in the middle of flash flood in the California dessert (not fun). The belt tensioner had gone bad so the belt was barely hanging on in the first place. As soon as the water hit it, the belt slipped right off. I got the belt back on (you need a wrench to turn the tensioner), which is a serious pain in the *** on Caravans. The tensioner and the belt had to be replaced, which was expensive because the alternator has to come off to change out the tensioner.
2007-02-05 16:06:13 · answer #1 · answered by Kevin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like the accessory drive belt. Normally when wet it will slip some or squeal a bit. It sounds like yours broke, or for some reason is slipping an abnormal amount, thus not turning your water pump and power steering pump. Take a close look at it, or take to shop if dont feel comfortable with cheking for stuck idler pulleys and tensoiners.
2007-02-05 16:05:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have better check your belt. I bet your belt has inadvertently slipped off or the belt is really really wet. If your van sits for a while i bet it won't happen again until you wash your car again. Once the belt dries it will be fine if it hasn't slipped off. If it hasn't slipped off you might want to look at the grooved side of the belt if you can see it, if you see a bunch of cracks you had better replace it. Serpentine belts cost around 20-30 bucks give or take and take only 5 minutes to put in if you have a serpentine belt wrench.
2007-02-05 16:08:00 · answer #3 · answered by schampoo2002 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best advice i can give you is while your engine has cooled down check the belts to see if they are still tight and that none of them came off which i know is pretty unlikely but its always good to check and for leaks from your radiator if there is a leak then your car is getting to hot and your hoses may be leaking so check for puddles of green or orange which is the color of anti freeze and if so then check the level of coolant in your radiator but only when the car hasnt been started in a while or it will bubble and sprey everywhere
2007-02-05 16:08:56 · answer #4 · answered by MrOneDer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
did you check your power stiring fluid. or maybe your coolent.
2007-02-05 16:03:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋