A serpentine belt (or drive belt[1]) is a single, continuous belt used to drive multiple peripheral devices in an automotive engine, such as an alternator, power steering pump, water pump, air conditioning compressor, air pump, etc.[2] The belt may also be guided by an idler pulley and/or a belt tensioner (which may be spring-loaded, hydraulic, or manual).
To allow the belt to pass over more than three pulleys with a large enough wrap angle to avoid slipping, idler pulleys which press against the back of the belt are included, forcing the belt into a serpentine shape. To accommodate this bidirectional flexing while remaining strong enough to transfer the total force required by multiple loads, a serpentine belt is almost always of multi-groove (multi-vee, poly-v, or multi-rib) construction.
- ^ "Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Serpentine/Drive Belt". Autoblog. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Your Car's Serpentine Belt". Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Retrieved 9 July 2017.