Q: How much money should it cost to replace a drive belt

asked by on July 18, 2017

Squealing coming from belt area,steering wheel locked when I turned AC on, squealing stopped. Only squeals when I turn car on, then it stops. How much should it cost to have a mechanic do it?

My car has 135000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

You may have problems with the tensioner for the belt and not just the belt. Also the power steering should not stop when turning on the a/c. You should first have a mechanic inspect the belt and tensioner along with other systems involved to diagnose the problem first. I have seen bad tensioners not hold the belt tight enough and cause this problem many times. Have it checked then go from there.

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