Belt and Hose Repair

We’ve already explained timing belts and drive belts on other pages but the topic bears repeating. Vehicle belts and hoses are the muscle and arteries that keep you on the road. Neglect them for too long, and you won’t be on the road at all, at least until we've done some belt and hose repair work for you.

Belts drive many aspects of your engine; hoses transport the fluids your engine needs to flush, lubricate, heat and cool it: oil, water, transmission, brakes, windshield washer, oxygen, you name it.

The good news is that belt and hose repair doesn’t usually cost a lot. Timing belt replacement runs significantly more than other belts and hoses. That’s because when we get down that far into an engine, it just makes sense to replace the water pump and other bits and pieces that begin to become problematic at the same time a timing belt breaks. These are the times when we highly recommend ‘preventive maintenance.’ When we’re so deeply into an engine the labor costs to go back in again become a pain in the neck to our customers. It’s best to take care of everything in the same hard-to-reach location. Then you don’t have to come back any time soon to access newly-malfunctioning parts.

Check your hoses too.

An easy way to check the condition of your hoses is to squeeze them. If they’re worn out, you’ll notice they make a crunching sound (which you can also feel). This means the internal webbing of the hose that ensures its contour has worn down and is no longer supporting the shape of the hose. If you ignore or neglect this condition, the hose will bulge and eventually burst, causing your engine to lose all of its coolant immediately. (This is the person you see on the side of the road with steam coming from his engine.) It’s easy to avoid this kind of break down by simply checking and replacing your radiator hoses as necessary. Another common hose problem: vacuum hoses on your engine can crack and break. This causes a vacuum leak from the engine, which results in a check engine light. Be sure to check these hoses periodically too. Read your owner’s manual to find out what the manufacturer suggests for replacement times and honor them.

When your belts and hoses need help, come to Chuck’s, either at our North Seattle location or our Shoreline location. we’ll take care of it and get you back in action as fast as we can.