My Motorhome Lost Power and The Fan Belt Made A Loud Noise

Reader Question I have a friend that has a motorhome and it recently had to be towed to its destination. My question was, if something that is run by the serpentine belt seizes could this cause enough drag to take most of the power from the engine? She said that she was going up a hill then she lost power and steering, then she started to smell burning rubber.

Thank you for your time.
josh

Josh,

Yes it is possible for an accessory, like a water pump, a/c compressor, alternator or p/s pump to lock up and not allow the belt to turn, thus causing the engine to die. She probably would have seen lots of smoke, and heard a high pitched squealing noise as the belt was slipping.

Look at the belt, if you see damage to it from slipping, remove it and try to turn all the accessories by hand until you find the problem.

Blessings,

Austin C. Davis