The fan belt broke at the end of a four hour drive on our 2015 Accord with 75,000.

The battery light came on, “charge system” note was highlighted in the display, AND the temp gauge was pegged at HOT. Happened after we got off the freeway.

The car basically would not start once we got to the dealer. Don’t know how we made it!

What can I expect in repairs: belt, batter, and ………..???? AND, what damage did I do to the engine running it hot for 15 - 30 minutes like this? The overflow was leaking radiator fluid.

Thanks, Ron

 

You could be lucky and the overheating engine didn't warp the cylinder head and cause a head gasket leak. Replacing the head gasket and machining the cylinder head is an expensive repair. For future reference, if your temperature gauge pegs hot on your car while driving, turn the heat on full blast with outside air coming in. This helps to cool the car and lower the coolant temp and prevent engine damage until you can pull over and add at least water or coolant to help cool the engine. Driving with the heat on high is miserable, but could save you from an expensive repair.

The shop will have to check if a pulley that is driven by that belt seized and caused the belt to break or if the belt just snapped. Costs vary from location, so costs are hard to predict. I'd say the repairs aren't Honda specific, so a quality shop should handle the repair(s).

It is strange that the belt broke and you had a coolant leak at the same time. It is possilbe you had the coolant leak for a while and the belt was weakend by having coolant on it?

 

Assume the belt also drives the water pump in addition to the alternator?

The belt was laying across the engine when I saw the car in Service.

 

I'm pretty sure it drives the water pump.