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When I used to daily drive my old Volvo I threw a belt at some point on the way to work. Of course I did not know this. It started a little slow, and the headlights seemed dim but it ran. As I was driving over the mountain pass I noticed the headlights were growing dimmer and dimmer. I didn't dare to stop knowing it wouldn't start again, assuming it was a charging problem. I managed to make it home with barely any headlights left and it was misfiring something awful with any major throttle inputs. At the end of it my battery only had 4 volts, the water pump never turned but thankfully the cold weather prevented it from overheating. They are dumb and innefficient but there is something to be said for the simplicity and durability of a carburetor and points ignition.
I threw the belt because a weld on my home made alternator bracket failed. Actually the alternator fell completely off but got trapped between the cross member and fire wall.
Once had a belt failure driving up San Marcos pass/lake Cachuma area. Suddenly losing power steering and brakes on a mountian road over looking a large body of water was much more interesting than what ever the electrical system was doing at the time. I've been pretty diligent about replacing my belts since then.
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