Motoring Discussion > Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Videodoctor Replies: 10
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New Sun 2 Nov 14 17:32 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Videodoctor
I have a Ford Mondeo mk4 2.0 diesel on a 59 plate and have very stupidly managed to dislodge the auxiliary belt off one of its tensioners.I cannot get the belt back on myself so I have a mechanic coming tomorrow morning to tow the vehicle to the garage but i was wondering if the experts among you could help with a question i have.

Rather than towing the car to the garage without running the engine could i do the following....

If i cut off the aux belt completely then according to my knowledge it drives the air conditioning pump,the alternator and the power steering pump, would it be safe to drive the car to the garage? ( 3 miles away)

As far as i can see the water pump is driven off the cam belt(is this correct?) so that shouldn't be a problem.What drives the oil pump?

So as far as i can see i would have no power steering and no alternator but would have powered brakes and water and oil pumps working.Is this a correct assumption? and rather than towing the car with no power brakes and no power steering (nightmare but dooable) this seems like a better idea?

Any thoughts on this
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New Sun 2 Nov 14 17:48 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Zero
Ever driven it without the power steering working? Its really hard.
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New Sun 2 Nov 14 19:54 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - CGNorwich
Since you have effectively modified your car by removing the power steering the insurance will be invalidated. If you had and accident whilst driving the vehicle it sould be easy for any injured party to claim you were not in control of the vehicle.
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New Sun 2 Nov 14 17:59 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Runfer D'Hills
Do you have any AA or RAC or other breakdown cover which would entitle you to having your car trailered to a garage? Not sure if such cover would include a self inflicted wound but might be worth asking?
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New Sun 2 Nov 14 18:57 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Armel Coussine
Yes, it's hard without steering assistance and you have to be ready for it and play safe. But it's easier to steer when the car is rolling, even if it does try hard to run down any camber. You wouldn't want to drive too far especially without brake assistance either.

These things are possible though given muscle and hope. Of course the engine will stop soon if the alternator isn't running, but a good battery should take you a few miles.

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New Sun 2 Nov 14 21:52 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Manatee
Do you know where the brake vacuum comes from on your car? Completely different engine, but I once had a serpentine belt come off on a Scorpio diesel when an idler bearing fell apart. I drove that car 5 miles or so back to the office car park, with no alternator output, pas or brake assistance (and it was deuced heavy, impossible to drive 'normally'). I had it recovered home from there as it was about 20 miles.

That particular car had a vacuum pump on the alternator. I also lost a bit of oil as presumably the oil return doesn't work when the pump stops.

I believe at least some other unrelated Ford diesels have a similar arrangement.

Never crossed my mind that I was driving a 'modified' car.
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New Mon 3 Nov 14 09:03 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - WillDeBeest
My Saab 9-3's steering pump failed while it was being serviced. As the mechanic who replaced it explained to me, that was a bit of luck as driving the car without it would have been well-nigh impossible "even for someone your size." Trouble is that it's not just that the steering loses assistance but that the pump and all the hydraulics become dead weight that has to be muscled around as well as the rack and the wheels; much more effort than if the car had been designed with unassisted steering. And this on a 1.3-tonne car with 195 tyres.
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New Mon 3 Nov 14 16:34 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Videodoctor
Thanks for all the replies.My mechanic came down this morning,cut the belt off,and drove my car to the garage.In his words "I've driven a lot worse than this without power steering".

Hopefully it will be ready tomorrow as he was already booked solid today.

Thanks for the help. :-)
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New Mon 3 Nov 14 20:01 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Slidingpillar
For a bit of hard work, both the quick rack equipped RS2000 and the Manta Rally car I've driven were quite a bit heavier than a Discovery I had when its power steering pump failed.
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New Mon 3 Nov 14 22:00 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - Fullchat
Aaah but when you are going sideways the steering lightens up nicely:)
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New Tue 4 Nov 14 00:57 
 Ford Mondeo IV - Ford Mondeo auxiliary belt problem - VxFan
>> My mechanic came down this morning,cut the belt off,and drove my
>> car to the garage.

What happened to the tow that he was previously going to do?
Was the belt in any way damaged prior to it being cut off? If not, then it seems an unnecessary waste to cut the belt off for the sake of just putting it back on the pulleys and tensioner.
Most auxiliary belt tensioners are only sprung loaded and can be held back out the way (or slackened) with a spanner or socket whilst fitting or replacing the belt. A simple job that I would have thought any mechanic could do on someone's driveway.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 4 Nov 14 at 00:59
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