The 3 belts and timing belt on my 1991 Toyota were changed two years ago. Since then, I have driven only 1,000 (one thousand) miles on the car. (It sat there in my driveway for over one year, undriven, while I was in Florida.)
Today, the steering in the car became difficult and nearly went out. I luckily pulled into a service station and the boy working there (he said he doesn’t know much about cars) said that my Toyota’s steering belt needs to be replaced. He said that my allowing the car to just sit there undriven over winter and summer prematurely aged the car’s belts. He now says his mechanic (who wasn’t there at the time) will need $85 to replace the steering belt, although he later said it could also be a loose screw.
The boy checked the power steering fluid and said it was okay. Before this problem occurred, I had heard a transient groaning sound from the passenger side of the engine, but didn’t know what it was.
Should a Toyota steering belt need replacing this quickly?
I am not familiar with Toyotas, but I do know that letting cars sit for extended periods of time is hell on them. Belts will sometimes squeal when they slip on the pulleys, but a groaning sound is not usually indicative of a belt. Did the sound get louder when you turned the steering wheel?
Ok, if a belt goes out suddenly one of two things happens. First, it could snap completely. This would result in an instant loss of steering and probably leave strands of rubber all over your engine compartment. Doesn’t sound like this happened.
Second, the belt tensioner or power steering pump could have slipped out of place. Still would have a dramatic loss of steering but this time would be accompanied by a hideous squeeling noise. There is a very easy way to test if this is the case. First, shut off the car. Look at the belt side of the engine. There should be three. (timing belt is covered) If all three are there, check tension (grab a straight section of the belt and push on it) It should give very little and feel like a gigantic rubber band stretched tight. Now, feel the inside of the belts (the part that rubs up against the pulleys) do you feel any huge chunks missing?
Finally, start the car with the hood up. Go observe and listen to the belts as they turn. Do you hear any squeeling or Whappa Whappa Whappa type sounds?
If everything appears “normal”, then you might have a problem with the power steering pump or motor.
And no, there is no reason any belt should cause problems after 1000 miles, even if it did sit for a year. Of course, one can never rule out a defective belt or faulty workmanship on the replacement.