A loose drive belt will often be noisy, squeaking a bit, or emitting a high-pitched squeal. The most obvious sign of a loose drive belt, though, is in its appearance and tension.

There are two types of drive belts used in automotive vehicles. They are the v-belt and serpentine belt.

A cooling fan can also be belt driven; this moves air across a radiator to cool the engine coolant to prevent overheating of the engine at slow road speeds or idle. These belt driven components can affect the tension of a belt.

The v-belt type has a narrow taper to a V shape that goes around a pulley. It will have a manual adjustment for the proper belt tension and proper tension will increase its belt life. If the tension is loose, the belt will make a high pitch noise. If you visually look at the belt as the engine is running, there will be a lot of movement with the belt.

A serpentine belt is the most common automotive belt type used today. It has a ribbed-wide band design look to it. This belt has an automatic tensioner assembly that maintains the proper tension on the belt under all load conditions.

Let’s summarize the signs of your drive belt being loose:

Sound is an indication of a belt being loose. This noise could manifest as a high pitch or whirring noise. The level of looseness will create different sounds.

Movement of the belt up and down while operating is normal at ½” to ¾”. More than that is considered worn or a concern

Low output from the component the belt is operating could be an indication of a loose belt

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