Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice because I’m honestly pretty worried about my car right now.

I have a 2011 Jaguar XK, and I just had the engine replaced with the same engine (direct swap, not a different model). Everything seemed fine at first, but I’ve now had two serpentine belts snap in a very short time.

Here’s what happened:

When I went to pick the car up after the engine swap, they started it and the serpentine belt snapped right there on the lot. They put a brand new belt on it, told me it was fixed, and sent me on my way.

I drove it home, and about a day later, the new belt snapped again while driving.

Now I’m obviously concerned that something deeper is wrong and not just “bad luck” with belts. From what I understand, belts don’t just keep breaking unless something is misaligned, seized, or installed incorrectly.
I’m wondering if it could be something like:

• A misaligned pulley
  
• A bad or seized tensioner or idler pulley
  
• A damaged alternator, AC compressor, or power steering pulley
  
• Or something not installed correctly during the engine swap
  

I don’t want to keep throwing belts at it if there’s a mechanical issue that’s just going to keep destroying them.

Has anyone here experienced this after an engine swap on an XK or similar Jaguar?
What should I have the shop check before I let them put another belt on it?

Any help or insight would be really appreciated. Thanks.

 

@EliasJag All the things you mentioned are possible causes, but you should never tell a mechanic what to do. If you do and there's a problem, they'll say that they did what you told them and it's not their responsibility. Determining how to do the work is their job and is why you pay them.

How did you decide to use them? Are they a Jaguar dealer or an independent shop? Who provided the replacement engine, you or the mechanic, and is there a warranty in writing on that engine from the seller?
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Stuart

 

+1 on Stuart's comments above.

Also, have the shop make sure the belt is correctly routed and the belt is positioned correctly on each pulley.

 

The cause of two snapped belts will be obvious if the belt is routed correctly. Check all the pulleys by hand and if they are all spinning freely then it will almost certainly must be the routing.

Richard

 

I went to an independent shop. They supplied the replacement engine and did the full installation, and the engine is under warranty from them. I’m not trying to tell anyone how to do their job I just want the car to be reliable and back on the road.

 

Very possible they routed it incorrectly, or there is an alignment issue. Belt snapping is not a problem these cars have normally.

 

Well, this is a situation where it's obviously not a discharged battery!

 

Your recourse is their warranty. They'll figure out the cause and fix it. It's not rocket science.
Good luck