How do you change the alternator belt on a 1998 Mazda MPV?

Answer 1

You should change all of the belts at once, even if one is going bad because you have to take ALL of the belts off to get to the Alternator/Fan belt. It is the farthest in the back and it is impossible to change on its own.

You have to take the A/C belt off first. There's a pulley on the right with a 10mm bolt on the top (you'll have to loosen this to take the belt off) and a 12 or 14mm nut on the front of the pulley (you'll have to loosen this larger nut to get the pulley chassis to move so you can take the belt off). Once you've gotten it loose, you;ll be able to take of the first of three belts. Next is the Power Steering belt.

Underneath the alternator is another pulley with a guard around it. Follow the belt that pulls it towards the engine. You'll notice a device similar to the one on the right. Again, loosen the nut in front of the pulley and then loosen the bolt on top. The second belt will now come off.

The last belt is the Alternator/Fan belt. It's a little tricky because the loosening mechanism is different. Instead of having a system where there is a long bolt that tightens the belt to the axle of the pulley, there are two mounting bolts. One is located right behind the bolt that loosens the Power Steering belt. The other will be located right on top of the alternator itself and will be bolted to a rocker arm. Remove the bolt that attaches the alternator to the rocker arm and LOOSEN the bolt that attaches the rocker arm to the engine. You will physically move the alternator to the RIGHT to remove the belt. You will have to get the belt around the fan blades, so get the belt off of all other pulleys first. The way I get the belt off of the fan blades is by taking the belt and feeding it over the fan blades into the fan housing (I do it this way because it's easier to figure out how to put the damn thing back on). Once the entire belt is off of the drive shaft for the fan, I pull the belt out from the top of the fan housing.

Now the alternator/fan belt is the last belt you took off, so it'll be the first one you put on. But the bolts back into their respective places but DO NOT tighten them yet. Tightening these bolts is the last thing you should do. Once you've got that go ahead and put the power steering belt back on. You may have to loosen the pulleys some more because the new belts are tighter than the old ones. Again, don;t tighten these bolts yet. Put the A/C belt back on now.

I recommend tightening the belts back on a little at a time, and doing so evenly. Over-tightening the bolts wont break the belt, but you'll be driving to an auto part store asking for new bolts (who knew that the belts would be stronger than the bolts?) When you get to the alternator things will get tricky again. Tighten the bolt that holds the rocker arm to the engine FIRST. Once you;ve done that you can tighten the bolt that holds the alternator to the rocker arm. I have to add something here: there is no easy way to tell if the alternator is tight enough without turning on the car, make sure that the bolt is good and tight before you turn on the car though, because you'll end up destroying your alternator if you're not careful. The alternator belt usually can't go on any more than a little past hand-tight because the only way to adjust it is with your hands.

Some quick notes:

If you have extension bars for your ratchet set, use them. The spaces are extremely tight, and the parts around these spaces are kinda sharp. I've cut myself a few times changing these belts.

I would also suggest investing in a "cheater bar". It's a sturdy length of pipe a little wider than the butt of your ratchet. Place it where you would put your hand on the ratchet for extra leverage. This is extremely useful for those hard-to0loosen pulley nuts and really useful for tightening things up. Just be careful not to break any bolts.

One last thing: When replacing nuts/bolts you've completely removed, be sure to add some lube to them. WD-40 won't cut it. You'll need a good axle grease, or better yet, there's a blue colored bolt lubricant that is available at most auto supply stores and hardware stores. It's made with Teflon so things don;t freeze up together and it's also a corrosion inhibitor.

Hope this helps!