Three belts or two

[Heardle]

Hi guys

Be gentle with me as new to owning a Bongo and new to the forum.

Been assured by local garage that I don't need all of the belts. The front one shows signs of rust around the pulleys so he assures me that's not the cause of my battery being flat? AA guys says very different.

Help?

Cheers

[Simon Jones]

There should be two for alternator/water pump & one for air con compressor (assuming you have the diesel engine). Having only one belt on the alternator won't affect the charging, but Mazda fitted a pair for a good reason (either to spread the load or provide a fail safe) so you should have two. Alternator failure is quite common, so it's possibly that, or a failing battery that is the cause of your problems.

[Heardle]

Cheers Simon. Turns out fault this weekend was simply that the garage hadn't put a lead in properly on the alternator when they put it back on last week. He also remains adamant I don't need the third belt.

Last straw tbh, I'm moving elsewhere to have any future work done and getting the extra belt fitted!

Sad but this was the second garage locally I've used on the van as got spurious advice from the first one too re it overheating when I first bought it. Basically got quoted a fortune to fix it then a mate got the air out and it's run fine since.

[rita]

Cheers Simon. Turns out fault this weekend was simply that the garage hadn't put a lead in properly on the alternator when they put it back on last week. He also remains adamant I don't need the third belt.

Last straw tbh, I'm moving elsewhere to have any future work done and getting the extra belt fitted!

Sad but this was the second garage locally I've used on the van as got spurious advice from the first one too re it overheating when I first bought it. Basically got quoted a fortune to fix it then a mate got the air out and it's run fine since.

Best to fit a Pair of the same maker and length.

[Simon Jones]

Good point. While you're at it change the A/C belt for a new one. When an old belt snaps it can get tangled around the pulleys resulting in a lot more damage. Many suppliers will set a set of all 3 belts for a good price.