lewis9378449 Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 95 STS. When out of town last night, I noticed my steering did not respond. Looked at instrument panel and it read something like NO BATTERY CHARGE. Figured the belt had broken. Got into town and pulled into a parking lot and determine it was indeed the belt. Belt was not broken but had come off. Caught a ride to Wal-Mart (at midnight) and got a battery to see how far that would get me. Before installing battery, I tried to reinstall the belt but it had too much slack to do any good (about 99.9% sure I had routed it correctly as I followed the diagram under the hood). Installed new battery and got about 30 miles down the road before it began to die. Got a hotel room at 1:30 in the morning...called someone to pick me up this morning. Now... Going to get a belt today. Do belts "stretch" that much? The tentioner puller seemd to be the right size but there is another that does not drive anything like PS, AC, etc. that appeared to be smaller than the diamgram under the hood. Any guesses? I am thinking that either the belt streched or what I thought was a pulley is actually a bearing with the pulley missing. Does anyone have a good pic they can post? Car is about 60 miles away and I want to make sure I have all the needed parts. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 Can't help with a picture. The small pulley you are describing sounds like the idler that contacts the smooth side of the belt. On my '98 the pulley is approx. 3" diameter and is located under and forward of the tensioner pulley mount. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 I had a friend who had a 94 Deville and he recently told me that he lost two belts.. Seems hard to believe, but if I were you I would look carefully at the idler wheel and tensioner wheel and tensioner pressure. Mike Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaddyChris Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 The belt came off my 94 sts. Usually belts just do not "come off." Well upon further investigation one of the guide pulleys bearings went bad....definately something to check...as mentioned already. I managed to drive her home with no belt. If the belt didn't break than I highly doubt it stretched that much. Usually it is a real pain to get the belt on because off too much tension....not enough is definatley not good. Are you sure the diagram on the hood is correct because I have seen on earlier models like yours where the picture is wrong. Just a thought. I'd hate to see you make the trip and not fix it. Christopher Petro 94 sts 67 coupe de Ville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 Had the same problem about a month ago. The idler pulley bearings burned up which caused the belt to come off. I bypassed the Idler pulley (the pulley above the A/C compressor) with a shorter belt. I will post which belt I bought tonight. I doubt the serpentine belt would stretch to the point of coming off. Reach down and try to wiggle the pulley. If it’s loose and wobbles back-and-forth then obviously it needs to be replaced. The idler pulley is inexpensive (about $16). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 To answer your question, no the belts do not stretch that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Below is the serpentine belt I bought to bypass the Idler pulley. It was a good fit but I wouldn't mind if it were one-half to a maximum of an inch shorter. I'm sure you can cross reference the number to buy different brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Edit I mis-read the above, I posted info to by-pass AC Compressor Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis9378449 Posted January 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Thanks for everyone's replies. I went to the parts store to get my belt and asked them to pull an idler pulley for me and sure enough....it was bigger that what I had remembered from the night/early morning before. Took the new idler pulley and new belt to the car with tools in hand. Appears the pulley part had seperated from the bearing and that was the problem. I guess the pulley is I-40 somewhere. One note for anyone that might have this problem in the future. When I was removing the bolt that held the idler pulley against the block (I was using a rachet and socket), I got my ratchet "trapped" against the sheet metal under/around the battery box. I had backed the bolt out only part of the distance and could not continue backing out because the ratchet had no where to go. Couldn't screw it back in because I could not reach the switch on the ratchet to reverse the direction. Had to take an extention bar and hammer and "knock" the socket off the bolt head. Was affreiad I was going to damage the threads in the block but really could not think of anything else to do at this point. Got lucky and I was able to put the bolt back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Well done. We like happy endings and thanks for the feedback. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Thanks for reporting back. Invest in some metric ratchet wrenches they allow much better clearance than a standard ratchet handle and socket. Mike Here is an example: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?...ts+Under+%24+75 Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis9378449 Posted January 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Weird this is that I have a set. I just did not realize the problem I was creating until it was too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaddyChris Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 glad you got it fixed...and thanks for letting us know Christopher Petro 94 sts 67 coupe de Ville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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