I was driving to work today when I started to smell burnt plastic/rubber. Then I started to hear a small click about every second. Then about a mile from work I hear a huge clicking noise and it doesn't stop, but then all of sudden it goes quiet again.

When I get to work I found that my belt has shredded and wrapped around my fan and it has pulled down what I believe to be the aluminum AC line has been chopped to pieces as well as the hose it was connected to. Also the fan blades have been destroyed. There are also metal shavings everywhere.

Here you can see the belt is half way gone:



Here you can see the aluminum line and the blade that has been destroyed:







Here you can see the belt and some of the metal shavings:



And here is the hose:



The aluminum line has a hole in it and has been shaved down.

What am I looking at cost wise to fix this and am I able to drive my TJ as long as I pull the aluminum line back up where it should be?

No advice as far as repairs go, but a good rule of thumb is, when you smell burnt anything and hear stuff out of the ordinary, you should pull over within feet, not miles and investigate the source. Sorry for your misfortune.

I would agree with you there, but I was behind a truck and the exhaust was crazy and I couldn't tell what I was smelling. And decided another mile to work wouldn't hurt.

And I got ahead of myself it is my radiator line, not AC. I am new to working on my own vehicle.

Ok, I was right the first time it was the high side AC line. Apparently the green I saw was the dye they put in the refrigerant at the factory. I did not know this and learned something new.

You can drive it without the AC. You need to replace the belt and fan before you take it on the road.

Why did your belt let go? is a idler pulley or tensioner pulley seized up? I wouldn't drive with the fan cracked like that not only will it be off balance and more than likely ruin your water pump but it will break loose and more than likely tear something else apart. Check it out,get the parts,pulleys/belt/fan,(you don't need AC), do the repairs then drive it.

jeepjones you were right about the tensioner, it seized up. I had to replace it along with the belt. The ac line I just moved out of the way and zip tied it down to make sure it wont swing down into the fan again.

I am in the process of ordering a new fan, but am thinking about making the switch to an electric fan. Do many of you like the electric fans or do you like the ruggedness of the factory fan?

for a daily driver that does not see much off road time (particularly water crossings) it is kind of a waste imo. if you don't off road it or sit in a lot of traffic, i would stay with the $67.00 fan clutch type fan, rather than a $300+ electric fan.

This thread is a good reminder to always check your belt for wear and cracks.

I had a dodge Dakota that I drove accross the country and my serpentine belt snapped in the middle of no where in North dakota, had to wait 6 hours for AAA to bring me a belt. Luckily there was no damage besides the belt and the routing sequence was stamped under the hood so I was able to fix it right there. Since then I always check my belt when I do an oil change.

this is why i change mine early and take the old one and throw it in the vehicle as a spare, if i need it it will already be kinda old and worn but its better than nothing

x2 on this good advice. I've done this for years.