1984 300 SD broken fan belt?
 

I am new to the forum and really glad I found this site! I had an unusual experience yesterday with my 84' 300 SD and I am hoping someone can give me some info. While driving along yesterday I suddenly heard a growling slapping sound under the hood. I Pulled over, took a look and saw what looks like a broken fan belt wrapped around the bell housing of the fan. There are wires also wrapped around it that I can't seem to untangle. I was able to remove the rubber part that was flapping around. I cannot tell where the broken belt is from since all the belts seem to be in place. Also, the overflow tube fitting on top of the radiator broke off as well?!! Looks like it snapped where it joined the top of the radiator.. Can anyone tell me what might have gone wrong here and what kind of repair I am looking at? Very expensive? Its like two things at the same time. I am baffled as to what went wrong and how what looks like a broken belt with wires got wrapped around the fan. No indication of missing belts that I can see.:confused:

thanks for any help.

jb

I have read of the Altenator Pulley Nuts getting loose some times as as well as the Crankshaft Pulley comming loose.
It could also be that junk on the Road some how got up into the belt and caused it to snap.
I have cut more than a few belts off on the job as a mechanic (you save time doing this if you know the belt is shot) and have never cut a belt found a belt with metal wire inside of it.
This make me think the wire came from junk on the road or some how a wire from your engine got caught in the belt.
I would not be thinking of a repair until you find the cause of the broken belt.

Thanks for your reply Diesel 9112. I have been out under the hood trying to figure this out all afternoon and I think you are probably right about some kind of junk being picked up from the road somehow and it got wrapped around on there. All the other belts are in place and everything else seems to look ok. When it happened I didn't save the broken belt that I pulled out of there (I wish I did now so I could describe it)...all thats left is the wires wrapped around between the fan and water pump. The fan spins free tho...tried to get in there and unwrap it but its just wound around to much, in a bad position, and won't come loose. Also the thin radiator hose on top broke somehow also when I was pulling the broken belt out of there. Just snapped off flush off the radiator. No way to hook it back up.
Any idea whats involved in fixing that radiator hose? It broke off flush right at the top on the radiator. The hose goes to the reservoir on the left where the radiator fluid goes.

Thanks again for your help!
Really appreciate it!
jb

I recently had a belt come off of my 300sd, and at first glance I couldn't see where the belt had come from since all accessories were turning, but after looking harder I noticed there were two belts that run the alternator/water pump and one of those had come off. Perhaps your 300sd is the same.

Check the alternator to see if the pulley has grooves for 2 belts and you have thrown 1.