How do you replace the serpentine belt on a 1997 Buick Riviera super charger?

Answer 1

As you attempt to change the serpentine belt for the supercharger on this car, the complication you have likely run into is that the belt is looped through the cast mounting bracket that is bolted to the engine block with three bolts, and one of them you can't get to because it's behind a pulley. Fear not friend, you do not have to remove the bracket to remove or reinstall the belt. You only need to take out the one bolt on the bottom leg of the cast bracket (actually a nut on a stud). The nut needs to come off, and the stud needs to come out. That bottom leg of the casting is connected to the block via a spacer, which falls out when the stud is removed. The belt can be removed from the 3 legged cast bracket by passing it through the opening left by the spacer. You first need to take out the motor mount that connects the 3 legged casting to the car's frame near the wheel well -- the horizontal cylindrical shaped thing with rubber inside. You do that by jacking the engine upwards until all the weight of the engine is supported by the jack (use a flat piece of wood to protect the oil pan. Then the two horizontal mount bolts will come off. There are two 15mm bolts underneath that mount, and they only need to be loosened, not taken out. The mount slides upwards and off both of those bolts via slots. With that thing out, and the lower casting stud removed, the spacer comes out and you can change the belt with no more than the usual difficulty making the belt go where it's supposed to. Good luck, and enjoy your supercharged Buick!