What does the vacuum belt do and operate?

BEF2P1

MEMBER
2019 GMC SIERRA
6.2L
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
160,000 MILES

I have recently seen a small broken belt hanging below my truck that is either the belt for the vacuum pump or A/C condenser. I am unsure which it is, but my A/C seems to still blow fine. I know it isn't my serpentine because it is still charging battery with alternator and is one of the smaller belts. My question is, what does the vacuum belt do and operate and if it is, would the truck be okay to drive about 30 miles home before fixing or should I worry about breaking down and would it be best to have towed?

Monday, August 19th, 2024 AT 8:34 AM

1 Reply

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
54,137 POSTS

The vacuum belt helps the power brakes, I can tell you to drive it because it is a safety issue and the brakes will be harder to push which in turn will be more difficult to stop the truck. The problem is I don't see a vacuum pump on the 6.2 liter for the 2016, there is one for the 2017 though.

Vacuum Generation: The vacuum pump generates the vacuum needed for power brake assistance.

I would reach down to see if the pump turns because I could have locked up which kicked the belt off. Here is how to install the belt and the vacuum pump in case you need it. Check out the images (below). Please upload pictures or videos in your response of any problems so we can see what to help you with.

Images (Click to make bigger)