Wet serpentine belt = All dash indicators?

[bkoeth]

I had my coolant res. cap explode on me today. No big deal, I'll put a new one on.

But the scary part: I'm sitting at a stop light and all my warning lights come on at once for about 2 seconds, then go off. Then a few seconds later, I'm driving down the road and hear a loud whoosh and the coolant level light comes on. At this point, I'm thinking I won't make it to the end of the street. I keep going (school's only about a mile), keeping an eye on the temperature and park. Sweat bullets through my first class, figuring I have some huge electrical problem or God knows what else.

I come out, open the hood, and see the busted cap, which leads me to my question:

For peace of mind: Would a spray of boiling coolant from the reservior significantly affect my serp. belt enough to cause the "all warning lights for two seconds" situation?

I'm sure that was the case, but I'm a born worryer. Cheers. BJK

1997 850T5 Automatic(yuck)

[luketrash]

My windshield washer plugged up and sprayed washer fluid all over the alternator and serp belt area. It made a nasty squealing noise until it dried up.

Coolant might not dry up so well.. I'd hose it out with water and let it dry completely. Possibly spraying the internals of the alternator with a good electrical contact cleaner spray to clean it.

The lights may have come on due to an electrical short, or like you said, the serp belt was slipping on the alternator pulley, causing warning lights to turn on.

[bkoeth]

New cap, new coolant. She's running smooth (even after half an hour city driving in 100+ heat). Thanks for the reply.