9kt Threw Accy. Belt... in the Middle of Nowhere

[stuffman]

So on my drive from Pittsburgh to State College my 9000 threw its accessory belt. I was fortunate to be within a few miles of an Advance Auto Parts, so I picked up a new belt and rented the tool to crank back the tensioner to get the belt on. After struggling for 40 minuted to get the wheel liner off in 22-degree weather in the dark (rusted bolts and not having the proper tools...), I finally saw the culprit: the tensioner pulley was covered in melted rubber from the belt. It wouldn't rotate at all, so I attempted to remove it to see if I could clear more debris from it, but it wouldn't budge and I ended up breaking the tool I rented, and in the resulting motion, broke off the small hose that attaches to the coolant reservoir (the small nipple broke off).

Since it was dark and cold, and I don't want to pay AAA $250+ for the tow the rest of the way, I'm spending the night at a hotel. I'll probably get a tow to one of the nearby shops, but since it's a small town, parts availability is a big concern. I'll obviously need a new pulley, if not the whole tensioner itself. I'm not sure of the function of the hose that attaches to the reservoir, but I'm sure it's going to be an issue as well.

Any guess what the chance of a small shop being able to do the repairs same-day would be? Am I still going nowhere even with the belt back on having the reservoir nipple thing broken? I was thinking I could stick a straw in the hose and have it go into the reservoir, then slather the whole thing in QuickSteel until I can pick up a replacement.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

[Roto]

Sorry to hear you had that kind of a problem. That pulley needs to be replaced from time to time. There's really not much to the repair, but the problem is getting the pulley. If there's a junk yard that has it - grab it, but replace with a new one when you get a chance.