Tips For Replacing Your Vehicle’s Serpentine Belt
While many drivers know that they need to do things like change their vehicle’s oil and air filters, some other parts of the car often are ignored. One part in particular that can wear down is the vehicle’s serpentine belt. If this part breaks while you’re driving, your car will be unable to run and you’ll need to have it repaired immediately. Thankfully, it’s easy to replace a serpentine belt when you notice wear to prevent this from happening.
Checking Your Serpentine Belt
The vehicle’s serpentine belt will be located on the engine, typically on the passenger’s side. The belt will be approximately 1 inch thick, wrapping around several pulleys that are used to provide power to your vehicle’s power steering, air conditioner, and water pump. Look at it closely to see if you can find any fraying or …show more content…
A big problem that people run into is forgetting how the old belt wrapped around all the different pulleys. It helps to take several photos with your smart phone to remember how the belt was attached. You can use these photos as a reference for when you install the new serpentine belt.
There will be a tension pulley you need to look for, which is a pulley with a spring on it that allows it to move. This pulley is what lets you take the old serpentine belt off your vehicle. Use a wrench to loosen the amount of tension on your existing serpentine belt, which will let you remove the old belt from the vehicle. You do this by turning the nut counter-clockwise. Then you will be able to slide the old belt off the other pulleys
Installing The New Serpentine Belt
Always verify the part number on your new serpentine belt with the part number on the old belt, you want to make sure it is the exact replacement part that is made for your vehicle. If not, there could be too much slack in the belt for it to work
While many drivers know that they need to do things like change their vehicle’s oil and air filters, some other parts of the car often are ignored. One part in particular that can wear down is the vehicle’s serpentine belt. If this part breaks while you’re driving, your car will be unable to run and you’ll need to have it repaired immediately. Thankfully, it’s easy to replace a serpentine belt when you notice wear to prevent this from happening.
Checking Your Serpentine Belt
The vehicle’s serpentine belt will be located on the engine, typically on the passenger’s side. The belt will be approximately 1 inch thick, wrapping around several pulleys that are used to provide power to your vehicle’s power steering, air conditioner, and water pump. Look at it closely to see if you can find any fraying or …show more content…
A big problem that people run into is forgetting how the old belt wrapped around all the different pulleys. It helps to take several photos with your smart phone to remember how the belt was attached. You can use these photos as a reference for when you install the new serpentine belt.
There will be a tension pulley you need to look for, which is a pulley with a spring on it that allows it to move. This pulley is what lets you take the old serpentine belt off your vehicle. Use a wrench to loosen the amount of tension on your existing serpentine belt, which will let you remove the old belt from the vehicle. You do this by turning the nut counter-clockwise. Then you will be able to slide the old belt off the other pulleys
Installing The New Serpentine Belt
Always verify the part number on your new serpentine belt with the part number on the old belt, you want to make sure it is the exact replacement part that is made for your vehicle. If not, there could be too much slack in the belt for it to work