Serpentine Belts

Have to determine what is causing noise - could be a bad compressor Have to determine what is causing noise - could be a bad compressor Have to determine what is causing noise - could be a bad compressor

One thing I do is use WD-40. Spray a little bit on a piece of cloth or paper towel, and put it on the outside edge of the belt and then roll backwards while holding it there. Albeit this is a temporary fix, but does work for a while. Keep in mind after a while this will get black and sling onto your swing-arm, so you will have to take a toothbrush and scrub the belt and swing-arm. I'm doing research into a spacer to possibly stop this.

Serpentine belts use an pulley to keep tension on the belt. You need a breaker bar; attach to the tension pulley and turn the nut. One way will not move and the other way will loosen the belt. It will usually then just slide off that pulley and then come off all the rest.

Yes, it does.

Most cars and trucks today have what is called a serpentine belt which runs most accessories.They are very dependable and usually easy to replace. To decide if your belt needs replacing, simply look at the grooved side of the belt to see if it is cracking badly. A couple of cracks every 3 inches is normal, but if you see cracks every 1-2 inches I would recommend that you replace it. On most cars and trucks the procedure is basically the same. First off, get the correct belt by bringing your cars VIN number to the parts store(located on your cars dashboard) the parts store may need it. If there are two choices, get them both so you can complete the repair. Once you have the correct belt, take a minute to review how the belt runs across the pulleys and also check to see if your car/ truck has a underhood diagram of belt routing in case you need it. In most cases you will need a socket wrench or breaker bar with either a 3/8" and /or 1/2" head on it and possibly a short extension. Some models may require a wrench of these similar sizes.Now that you are ready to go to work, you will need to find the spring loaded tensioner which is generally located near the top of the belt path; it usually has a shinny pulley on it. Look at the tensioner and insert the tool into it and apply opposing pressure to release the belt.Now, simply install the new belt making sure it fits into the grooves on all the pulleys. Start the car to check it and you are done and you saved yourelf some money!

Anything in specific?

Two accessory belts and one timing belt.

Its kind of a pain. I just force it. Or move the alternator. Sorry .. that sucks.. but better than nothing. I find removing the fan shroud makes it SUPER easier.

The Alternator and Power Steering Units have a tensioner bolt on each. The final tensioner bolt is just above the tensioner pulley in the top center.

I HAVE NOT DONE THIS EXACT CAR, BUT THIS IS THE NISSAN BELT TENSIONER DESIGN, You will likely need A 12MM socket ratchet and about 6 to 12 inches of extension, and A 14MM wrench, There should be A IDLER PULLEY, It will have 1 bolt through it, and It should be mounted on A slotted bracket, The bolt holding it is A retainer, You will losen it about 1 to 2 turns,This is where you use the 14wrench, then there will be A LONG bolt(about 5 or 6 inches) exactly opposite from the direction the belt is comming and going, most of the time you will access this from the ground side,This is where you use the 12socket, Start backing the long bolt out, it should take about 5 to 10 turns to get the old belt off, When you put on the NEW belt it is very tempting to really tighten the belt because it is so easy, DO NOT DO THAT, It will cost you money in the long run if you do. GOOD LUCK, Jamison

It keeps constant pressure on the belt so that it doesnt slip as it goes around the pulley's. It is also used for taking off and replacing the belt.

Just got my 2004 F350 back from the shop and they had to remoce shroud for easier access

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if it is a serpentine belt, there is a tension pully that keeps it tight if is a v blet , u generally adjust the tension by moving the alternator

There is no idle vacuum line on P/S. I don't know how you tightened a serpentine belt when their is no provision for doing that. The tension is controlled by the idler tension pulley. If you are referring to a normal drive belt, then set the deflection at mid point of the belt to approximately 1/4". Check with Chrysler for the exact specs on deflection.

Most cars and trucks today have what is called a serpentine belt which runs most accessories.They are very dependable and usually easy to replace. To decide if your belt needs replacing, simply look at the grooved side of the belt to see if it is cracking badly. A couple of cracks every 3 inches is normal, but if you see cracks every 1-2 inches I would recommend that you replace it.

On most cars and trucks the procedure is basically the same. First off, get the correct belt by bringing your car's VIN number to the parts store (The VIN is often located on your car's dashboard) because the parts store may need it.

If there are two choices, get them both so you can complete the repair. Once you have the correct belt, take a minute to review how the belt runs across the pulleys and also check to see if your car/ truck has a underhood diagram of belt routing in case you need it. In most cases you will need a socket wrench or breaker bar with either a 3/8" and /or 1/2" head on it and possibly a short extension. Some models may require a wrench of these similar sizes.

Now that you are ready to go to work, you will need to find the spring loaded tensioner which is generally located near the top of the belt path; it usually has a shiny pulley on it. Look at the tensioner and insert the tool into it and apply opposing pressure to release the belt.

Now, simply install the new belt making sure it fits into the grooves on all the pulleys. Start the car to check it and you are done. You also saved yourself some money!

dealer, parts stores can order it, or you can check on line for the part. do a search for BMW parts serpentine belt. hope it helps. duboff

that could mean there is a bent pulley causing the belt to ride crooked and break. It could also mean one of the pulleys is locking up(not turning), which will also cause the belt to break. Overtightening the belt will also cause the belt to break. I'm betting one of the pulleys is locking up. I would check the a/c compressor pulley first, then the others.

There is only 2 tensioner pulley on a Dodge Shadow 2.5L and that's right above the belt that drives the water pump and alternator... that tensioner pulley opperates the AC Compresser and the other one goes for the timing belt.

No, it is relatively simple but will be easiest if you remove the passenger front tire and remove the splash guards. This will give you the best access to the tensioner pulley, requires a 14mm open end wrench turning clockwise to release tension on the belt. Remove the old belt and install the new belt, notice how easy it is to get the belt on the crank pulley with the wheel apart...it took me about 3 hours of trying to thread the belt around the water pump and over the crank pulley to decide there must be a better way....this is it. I recommend having a second set of hands available as it is easiest to thread the new belt over crank, tensioner, idler, alternator, power steering pump and water pump then put the 14mm wrench on the tensioner pulley bolt and rotate clockwise again and have your friend put the belt on the A/C compressor pulley. Reassemble the splash guards and put the tire on and you are done.

Check the alignment of belt in relationship to all pulleys. Check the condition of the pulleys. Also make sure the belt being replace is the recommended size. Auto shops have belt measuring tools to check the size of the belt before installing into your vehicle. You may have had a belt installed that was too large in the first place. The squeaks are a sign of a loose belt or a belt not recommended for your vehicle.

everyone should have a manual for their vehicle, and a professional shop manual should be available at the library in the reference section for FREE...make copies of the right pages and fix your vehicle like a PRO! :) good luck Dave :)

Usually right there under the hood. If not, get a motor manual for same vehicle.