Okay, I did nothing to provoke this - no high revs on a highway run, no jackrabbit starts off the lights, nothing! Just cruising home from the North Shore at a leisurely pace and pulled into my alley and all of a sudden, it sounds like there's a guy with a tin can full of nuts and bolts in my engine bay! This fairly horrendous rattling that I'd never experienced before! I was on a downhill slope to my parking garage so I shut it off immediately to see if it was engine bay noise or something I ran over stick in my undercarriage or something. The noise was gone, as I coasted into my stall, so the latter option was eliminated. I started it, and it was back...for a few moments...then the sound faded away. I again shut it down and popped the hood. Looked ok. Then I peeked under passenger side wheelwell, and there it was - a broken belt half dangling off the pulley (rearward and above the oil filter.) I guess the sound was the remains of the broken belt flopping around?
Not sure which belt this is, or how destructive it is to drive the car til I get it in - which won't be Tuesday, with the holiday!!
I think it's an accessory belt? The A/C belt has been removed, and (dumb as this sounds) - these cars don't have power steering, right?
So my question is basically, any idea which is is, how much of a pain it will be to replace, and if I can drive it - all accessories off - during the daytime tomorrow?
Thanx for any and all help and advice!