I was cruising along yesterday and felt the steering pump go out on the highway. Nowhere to pull over and pulling a big horse trailer. Three miles later I finally get to a wide spot to dive into. I look down and the temp gauge is maxed and the oil light is on. Most of the antifreeze boils out when I got the engine shut down. I had no choice but to have a friend bring a new belt and some antifreeze to the rescue. Got it changed and filled back up. Started and drove home fine.

I've got this twisted gut feeling about the whole deal. What kind of damage did I likely do? Things to look for? Did I just kill the longevity of the motor? I've been trying to do things right and treat it well to ensure a reliable truck.

On a side note the belt came apart in ribbons and it was absolutely shredded. The belt appeared to be less than 3 months old. No cracks or tears and a bright white numbers sticker on the back

 

You did what you had to do. No need for worrying about what "might" have happened. Replace with the correct coolant, maybe remove belt and check/inspect all pulleys for play..etc, and continue on with life.

 

I have seen several worn tensioners cause the belt to move on the pulleys and shred the belt that way

 

I bought an aftermarket tensioner and while trying to remove the belt one day for some work on the AC compressor the prying position on the tensioner sheared clean off... I say try to get a good one if replacing.... When it comes time I'll have to probably cut the belt and replace the tensioner at the same time.

 

If I were you, I would look closely for the cause of the belt breaking like a loose or out of alignment pulley. Replace the tensioner and belt if the one you have now is not new. Then, flush and replace coolant and oil. Then, monitor things for a short while and you should be good to go if there is no mixing of fluids or abnormal symptoms. These engines can take a lot of abuse and laugh at you when you are worried about it.

 

You guys are good. Fooling with it this morning my wife noticed the tensioner was slightly out of alignment. As we were watching it on the ac compressor we saw it jump one ribbon...

Got a new one just gotta put it on now

 

Easy fix, should be back up and running shortly.

 

Hope so. The coolant flush will take a bit though. .. we are 2 days into our elk hunt now and haven't even left home...

 

Just keep an eye on the level and pick up some distilled water if you get the chance just in case when you run into town for more provisions.

 

Why are you doing a coolant flush? Seems silly when you are supposed to be hunting. Put coolant in and go.

 

Because when my friend showed up and brought the parts he brought elc coolant and spring water... so it's mixed elc and regular antifreeze.

 

The spring water is a no no, distilled or deionized water is what you need. Spring water still has minerals in it which can form deposits within your cooling system.....

 

Kelpy1, pause for just a moment here.

Do not mix ELC with regular coolant. Do not use spring water.

Use regular coolant OR ELC. Use only distilled or deionized water.

Have fun on your trip, keep the water (see above) close by in case you need it to refill the degas bottle. Once you return home, flush the system and replace the oil.

 

Upon re-reading I think he is saying it is mixed anti-freeze and spring water in there now, as that's what his friend brought to bail him out on the side of the road?

If that's the case, I can fully understand him wanting to do a full flush now before he heads out on a trip.

If I am wrong then all the above does indeed apply.

 

Correct the wrong of everything is mixed in there currently.got all the plugs out and rinsing now. About to plug stuff back up and do distilled water.