Hey guys,
I don't have much experience with fixing cars so excuse my lack of knowledge here.

Today I started my car, everything fine like every other day, but when I wanted to start driving I felt that I could barely move my steering wheel, so I had a look at my engine and noticed that one of the belts came off. It's the belt closer to the front of the car: http://www0.xup.in/exec/ximg.php?fid=11984964
I just recently bought the car and the past owner told me that he had changed the belt not long ago, there is also a Bosch belt sticker next to the engine indicating that the belt was changed around 5000 km ago. The belt indeed does not look damaged or used much.

Should I try to just pull the belt back on and it should be fine, or do I need to get it checked, what dangers are there if I just pull it back on?

Also how did it come off, i parked there car last night - no trouble at all?

Thanks for your help

E: also the car had a major check + pink slip last week.

The bosch sticker likely indicates the timing belt change, which is a very good thing!
The power steering belt should go back on, assuming no damage has occurred to the belt, but you will need to retension it in all likelihood. I havent replaced the belt on my Verada yet so someone else would be able to confirm the procedure or search here on the forum. You'll likely find the answer you need.
Welcome to the forum!

Ok, thank you.
I'll see if I can put it back on, and will just go back to the mechanic that did my last major service and see if he can retension it, or if I find out how to do it, might do it myself.

Easy enough to do yourself, just search for the procedure - someone will have done it on here. Cheers

The 2.4L is a bit of an unknown on this forum, not many people have one or know how to work on it, including me. A workshop manual for this engine is hard to find as well.

However, a drive belt should never just come off by itself. Something has happened, like the adjuster was not tightened correctly and has backed right off, or the idler has come loose or its bearing has collapsed, allowing the belt to come off the idler and then off the crank and other pulleys. So don't just put it back on, find out why it came off all by itself.

Thanks for your advice MadMax.

This morning I put the belt back on, it's actually super easy, for anyone trying to find out how to do it: Find this pulley: http://www0.xup.in/exec/ximg.php?fid=18070740, loosen the bolt on the right first, then you can screw the pulley back until you are able to put the belt on, screw it back in until the belt is nearly as tight as you want it to be (5-10mm flex when pushing on it) then tighten the bolt on the right again, all done, too easy.

Well I did exactly as I described it, turned the engine on, belt came off... I thought maybe it was too loose, put it back on again this time a bit tighter, well came off again. I had a good look at the belt and noticed that it did look a bit old and porous. I took it to a mechanic around the corner, who told me to get a new one, because that one is too old. Now I got a new one, put it back on, easy going, turn on the engine, belt comes off straight away. Same thing tried it a bit tighter, same thing, came off. I checked all the pulleys if they have to much play, which could cause the belt to come off, but no all the pulleys are nice and tight.
Any ideas what the reason for the belt coming off could be?

Take the whole car to the mechanic around the corner.

Working out which pulley is misaligned to the point of throwing the belt is super easy, if you know what you are doing. Look for play in all the pulleys, and check that they can be turned by hand with the belt off. Is the pulley the belt rides on grooved? Is the belt running on the pulley with the grooved side towards the pulley, or the smooth side? Show us a picture of the belt installed.

If you can't work it out, take the whole car to the mechanic around the corner.

Working out which pulley is misaligned to the point of throwing the belt is super easy, if you know what you are doing. Look for play in all the pulleys, and check that they can be turned by hand with the belt off. Is the pulley the belt rides on grooved? Is the belt running on the pulley with the grooved side towards the pulley, or the smooth side? Show us a picture of the belt installed.

From looking at it none of the pulleys looks misaligned, the belt sits on perfectly straight.
No play in any of the pulleys.
All pulleys can easily be turned, except for the one on the engine, which i assume is supposed to be fixed with the engine is off.
The grooved side is of course towards the pulleys which are also grooved.

From looking at it none of the pulleys looks misaligned, the belt sits on perfectly straight.
No play in any of the pulleys.
All pulleys can easily be turned, except for the one on the engine, which i assume is supposed to be fixed with the engine is off.
The grooved side is of course towards the pulleys which are also grooved.

Then it's IMPOSSIBLE for the belt to come off by itself! (Or you missed something . . . . )

Put the belt back on, get someone to crank the engine while you look under the bonnet. Look for where the belt comes off from. Look for idler or power steering pump pulley twisting around - going sideways - to kick the belt off.

Then it's IMPOSSIBLE for the belt to come off by itself! (Or you missed something . . . . )

Put the belt back on, get someone to crank the engine while you look under the bonnet. Look for where the belt comes off from. Look for idler or power steering pump pulley twisting around - going sideways - to kick the belt off.

Ok, thanks, I will have a another look tmr morning. Will take a picture of the belt on, and figure out where it starts jumping off.

Ok, thanks, I will have a another look tmr morning. Will take a picture of the belt on, and figure out where it starts jumping off.

Perhaps the power steering pump is loose on its mount, or there is so much wear in the bearing, that the pulley is pulled out of alignment by the belt and the belt just walks off the edge?
Got me stumped . . . . pity I can't eyeball the car.

I put the belt back on super loosely so that it doesn't come off while I drive it to the mechanic.
The mechanic figured out that the balancer is broken, what means that when I turn on the engine the pulley on the engine doesn't run straight and starts to wobble, what throws off the belt. Need a new balancer -.-

That is interesting. I had exactly the same problem with my 1st Gen TP wagon. See thread: http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67730&p=1047279&highlight=#post1047279

Ironically I've had the same issue with a TE 2.4 I had, when I removed the balancer it had separated into two. A new one set me back $160 IIRC

Are the locknuts on the idler pulleys tightened? If they are loose, you can have axial movement of the pulley, which could throw the belt if it is bad enough.