98 alternator belt

[matt5432111]

I have already read all the other threads that I could find on this subject.

One of my belts has been squealing ever since I bought the car, for 4 or 5 months it wasnt bad. It would only squeak when it rained. In the past month it got a lot worse. Last night I was just pulling out of a parking lot and heard a loud pop. My battery light came on and I lost power steering. They belt that broke was the belt all the way towards the drivers side of the car, the outer belt, which I was told was the alternator belt. I bought an alternator belt 2 days ago, but I didnt have time to change it.

My question is why did my power steering go out when it was the alternator belt that came off. Is it normal to lose power steering when the alt belt comes off? Do you think there could be something wrong with the power steering belt?

[M-Rod]

same thing happened to my friend's 7G. I put a new alternator belt on and it was back to normal.

[matt5432111]

Alright, thanks man!

[peanotation]

the pulley system with all the drive belts is set up in a way that they all work off each other from the crank pulley. the alternator drive belt is driven from the crank pulley, and it's also wrapped around the water pump pulley. the power steering pump is driven directly off the water pulley. so if you lose your alternator belt, you lose water pump, which means you lose power steering.

alternator belt is like the girlfriend, when it breaks you lose everything. timing belt is the wife, when she breaks you break shit