I am not nor do i claim to be a mechanic. I can do oil changes and spark plug changes. I lost my serpentine belt on the freeway yesterday pretty far from home and had to leave the car in a business park overnight....I am picking up a new belt today and would like to just put it in and drive the car home because towing it would cost a fortune.
2007-05-24 11:23:42 · 9 answers · asked by chalupas_and_beer 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I did start to nitice a high pitched whine coming from my engine bay just before this happened. I thought it might have been belt wwear but now I am starting to think it could be bad bearings on any one of the pulleys.
2007-05-24 11:39:51 · update #1
Changing the belt is simple. Release the tensioner and install the belt. But unless the belt just picked that moment to fly off, there is likely a reason it failed. Spin all your pulleys slowly, feeling and listening for noise or rough bearings. You may have another issue that caused the belt to come off, and will likely do it to the new belt as well.
2007-05-24 11:32:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a piece of cake. Make sure that you draw or take note of EXACTLY how the belt is routed. Some cars have this info on the radiator core support, but not all.
Use a 1/2" Breaker Bar (either it will have a 1/2" square hole in the tensioner bracket, or you will need a socket to fit the pully bolt.) to rotate the tensioner up, loosening the belt. Slip it off the alternator pulley, and release the tensioner. Remove the belt the rest of the way.
Take the new belt and start at the bottom, loop it under the crank pulley, then start routing it around the rest. When you get all but the alternator pully routed, use the breaker bar to raise the tensioner back up and slip the belt onto the alternator. Double check that the belt is properly seated on every single pully prior to starting the engine. It is common for people to have the belt hanging off by one groove. When the engine is started, the edge of the pully will slice the part hanging over, ruining the belt.
Some auto parts will also print out the belt routing for you.
Check the part number of the new belt vs. the old one to ensure it is correct prior to installing the new one, or better yet, take the old one with you and have it matched.
2007-05-24 11:36:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It helps a ton to have an actual serpentine belt tool to pull the tentioner out of the way while sliding the new belt on. Ant auto parts store has these. There very economical if you know the nut size in the center of the tentioner.
The one I have is made by performance tool part # W8410. It's two feet long 3/16 thick by an inch and a half wide. On the business end there's a welded on 3/8 drive square for any size millimeter shallow socket you may need. It comes with three sockets and four 3/8 crows feet open end wrenches. If you have clearance a regular socket wrench will work with a length of pipe on the end. Be careful, regular wrenches can swat you in the face the angularity isn't just right.
2007-05-24 11:52:20 · answer #3 · answered by Country Boy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes you just can't seem to thread the new belt on without getting under the car to position the belt. If your car has that problem, you'll need a couple of jack stands to put under the frame and suspension for safety when you crawl under the engine to position the belt. You'll also need a diagram of how the belt threads around all the pulleys. You also need a 1/2 inch drive socket wrench or breaker bar to release the tension on the belt tensioner.
2007-05-24 11:33:44 · answer #4 · answered by bobweb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hardest part is figuring out how to route the new belt. Hopefully you have a picture in your hand book to show you the correct way it goes on. Otherwise, just install your new belt and use a 15 mm wrench in a clockwise direction to loosen the tensioner and slip the belt under the tensioner .Then slack off the wrench and put it back in your toolbox. Your finished except make sure that the belt is sitting correctly in all of the pulleys. I wish you luck.
2007-05-24 11:37:39 · answer #5 · answered by Richard B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First take a paper and draw up a rough scetch of how the belt is routed. you need either a 1/2 inch breaker bar, or 1/2 wratchet. you will see the square hole on the idler pulley. If it wont move pull and push untill it will. using the wratchet I recommend a pipe or cheater pipe on it for more leavarage. You are going to have to hold down the tension with one hand and slide the belt with the other hand.
2016-05-17 06:28:31 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check the bearings on the alternator and idler pulley before installing the belt. On the idler arm there should be a 1/2" square hole, use a breaker bar or ratchet to move the arm for installing the belt.
2007-05-24 14:23:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the schematic for the belt should be on a decal inside your engine bay. you would need a wrench to move the belt tensioner out of the way, but i've seen a single person install a serpentine belt before. if you can't find the diagram... most auto parts stores should be able to show you one.
2007-05-24 11:32:21 · answer #8 · answered by cranium1023 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can change it pretty easy make sure you have a rachet that fits on wheel to tightenin front by the raditor
2007-05-24 11:32:57 · answer #9 · answered by Brigit B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋