[bfc_xxx]

A few days ago I picked my car and after I run a couple of km the battery led turned on.

I thought something wrong with the battery because the car is brand new (only 2500km) or because I didnt use the car for 2 weeks, I stopped to check but I didnt see anuything, (yeah it was obvious but you can call me blind for this one). So I continued to the way back home with caution.

After some minutes the ABS and ESP light turned on, the radio went off and when the steering wheel went heavy I gave up stopped the car and called the service next day because it was really late at the time.

The engineer came with a replacement battery, changed the battery (he didnt see also the obvious) and with the new battery he started the engine and again there was the red battery led.
Then he checked the belt that charges the battery and what a surprise it was off. The belt was with a lot of cat hair, so a cat was caught by the belt and that's why it went off.

He put the belt back to the place and everything was fixed.

From my neighbourhood a cat of the same color of the hair that found on the belt was missing, but after a few days it came back hurted at the leg and a lot of hair missing but fortunately is recovering well.

ps: The engineer told me that the same belt that charges the battery is used to keep working the cooling system of the car. So without that belt working I could burn the car after running a couple of km but I didnt believe him because I didnt see any temperatures rising. Was he right?

[Lorian]

I don't believe a cat could get near the aux belt on my 1.6CRDi unless the bonnet was open.

Anyway, there is only one belt on the diesel and it also drives the water pump. I'm not sure if its the same on the petrol engines, but I guess it is.

[Dazzler]

Sorry for the pun but could have been a Catastophe 

All's well that ends well...

[2i30s]

I don't believe a cat could get near the aux belt on my 1.6CRDi unless the bonnet was open.

Anyway, there is only one belt on the diesel and it also drives the water pump. I'm not sure if its the same on the petrol engines, but I guess it is.

the waterpump and alternator is the same belt on my 2.0 petrol .

[2i30s]

back in the mid 70s my dad had to open his bonnet each morning before leaving for work, because our cat used to climb on to the warm engine and go to sleep. 

[agentr31]

back in the good old days when engines didnt fill the whole engine bay!!!

your lucky, and i would say the cat is even luckier!!

[2i30s]

back in the good old days when engines didnt fill the whole engine bay!!!

your lucky, and i would say the cat is even luckier!!

it was a 5.8ltr XA GT FALCON. LUCKY CAT. 

[Dazzler]

Our 16 y/o cat has had a 7 km ride in the engine bay of the wife's Tiida a couple of times withot any ill effects... 

[Shambles]

Our 16 y/o cat has had a 7 km ride in the engine bay of the wife's Tiida a couple of times ...

Try as you might, they always find their way home though 

[agentr31]

hahahaha

[bfc_xxx]

I don't believe a cat could get near the aux belt on my 1.6CRDi unless the bonnet was open.

There is plenty of room for the cat to enter from the bottom of the car.

I don't believe a cat could get near the aux belt on my 1.6CRDi unless the bonnet was open.

Anyway, there is only one belt on the diesel and it also drives the water pump. I'm not sure if its the same on the petrol engines, but I guess it is.

the waterpump and alternator is the same belt on my 2.0 petrol .

Are you 100% sure that the alternator and the waterpump are on the same belt?

I think the "alternator" belt is the same for the "air condition" only. I've been told that the waterpump is on the "timing belt" that is inside the engine.

[Lorian]

There is plenty of room for the cat to enter from the bottom of the car.

Not on my 1.6 U2 version there isn't It might just get up past the DOC but it would be a realu squeeze unless it was a kitten. The exhaust would fry it though.

I think the "alternator" belt is the same for the "air condition" only. I've been told that the waterpump is on the "timing belt" that is inside the engine.

Its definitely on the aux belt on the Diesel. Which model engine do you have to have a timing belt? Most of the engine options are chains now, except maybe the  2.0 diesel.

[eye30]

So your car does/did have a cat

[Dazzler]

So your car does/did have a cat

Yeah his model has a cat converter 

[bfc_xxx]

There is plenty of room for the cat to enter from the bottom of the car.

Not on my 1.6 U2 version there isn't It might just get up past the DOC but it would be a realu squeeze unless it was a kitten. The exhaust would fry it though.

As you can see from the photos there is entrance and room not only for a cat but for a puma. My car is 1.4 petrol and obviously it has a smaller engine than others that mention that there is no room for a cat.

I think the "alternator" belt is the same for the "air condition" only. I've been told that the waterpump is on the "timing belt" that is inside the engine.

Its definitely on the aux belt on the Diesel. Which model engine do you have to have a timing belt? Most of the engine options are chains now, except maybe the  2.0 diesel.

Yes my car has also a chain instead timining belt and the alternator is on the aux belt. My question was if the waterpump was on the aux belt also.

If the waterpump is on the aux belt and my belt failed because of the cat it sounds very weird to me that I had only a "battery" warning on my dash. The waterpump is more important than the battery and it could "burn" the car and I had only a warning that there was something wrong with the battery.
I feel like that the car didnt warn me properly and a car of 16.000€ could be almost for trash because the belt failed.

[Lorian]

Wow, I think you could get two 1.4s in there if you turned it around. There is nothing like that amount of space on the diesel.

[Nesher]

reminds me of the Mig-29 vs. bird from the 1989 Paris air show
both plane and bird were killed making the score even 1-1 


 

lucky enough the pilot made it out okay