[LoadedLX]

97 Taurus Duratec with 102k miles.

Everytime i hit a fairly deep mud puddle...even going slowly...the engine seizes up and the battery light flickers on and off. the steering gets tight and the brakes don't like to work.

i'm fairly certain the belt is getting wet and slipping, causing the alternator to not function properly. my question is this: does this mean the belt is bad? I know of other Taurus owners (my mother in law has an 04 SES centenial) who don't have this problem.

if it is the belt, and it needs replace, are there any tutorials on here anywhere? I couldn't find any. if not, could someone give me a quick run down on how to do it?

any help would be great.

 

[93 sable]

First I'd look into wether or not your car is missing any of the plastic shielding that is supposed to protect the belt from getting wet in the first place, the plastic that goes around the weel wells especially.

Any belt will slip if you get it soaking wet, If you look at the gripping side of the belt and also at the pulleys, they are both very smooth, if they get soaked, there will be slippage, but if your belt is cracking and chunks are missing, it's time for replacement.

Good luck!