Changing belts in easy. There is no need to pay someone to do it.
There are two belts. Of course, take the outer belt off first. Study the way it runs around the pulleys so you won't be scrathing your head wondering later how to run it when you put the new one on. I took a few pictures with my digital camera in case in needed them later.
Find the tensioner pulley. You will see a bolt in the middle of the pulley with a 15mm nut on it. I could not get my 1/2" ratchet and socket to fit between the nut and the fan shroud, so I used a 3/8" ratchet and still had a hard time getting it on.
Turn the tensioner counterclockwise until you can get the belt off a pulley. Since I had the car up on ramps to change the oil and therefore had the engine cover off too. I thought it looked easier to change it from the bottom. It took some effort to move the tensioner enough to get the belt off, the smallest pulley, which also happens to be the lowest pulley so it was easy to do from underneath.
Next, working from the top of the car, I took a 1/2" ratchet with 15mm socket and released the tension on the belt. The tensioner is located more or less in the middle of the pulleys on that belt. This belt came off easily - maybe 30 seconds.
To install the belts, just release the tensioner on the back belt first and rethread the belt. So the same for the front belts.
Before you start the car, make sure that the belts are properly seated on all the pulleys. If you are off one tooth on one pulley, you could break that belt, maybe both, and possibly a lot of other things under the hood.
Not to worry, anytime you feel you want to add a DIY thread or post, just do it, they are all welcome.
Look at it this way, the data may be similar, but the wording in the post will be different, and that may help someone that may not have fully understood what the first guy may have said.
The photo's will certainly be different and can help by showing a slightly different angle and view.
You did good, thank you..... This has been added to the Tech Tips and such sticky.
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Changing belts in easy. There is no need to pay someone to do it.
<snip nice DIY>
Before you start the car, make sure that the belts are properly seated on all the pulleys. If you are off one tooth on one pulley, you could break that belt, maybe both, and possibly a lot of other things under the hood.
Very good post.. but I do not follow your last paragraph above. Obvously the belts must be seated correctly. But these are only driving alternators, water pumps, etc. There are no teeth involved... This is not the timing chain.
If you use a 15mm socket you will undo the nut that holds the tensioner pulleys on. Dont do that. If it comes undone whilst holding tension on it you may loose your fingers.
Use an E10 socket on the star shaped part to lever the pulleys or an 8mm ring. http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r170...light=fan+belt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazzle
If you use a 15mm socket you will undo the nut that holds the tensioner pulleys on. Dont do that. If it comes undone whilst holding tension on it you may loose your fingers.
Use an E10 socket on the star shaped part to lever the pulleys or an 8mm ring. http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r170...light=fan+belt
Bazzle
Very good post.. but I do not follow your last paragraph above. Obvously the belts must be seated correctly. But these are only driving alternators, water pumps, etc. There are no teeth involved... This is not the timing chain.
So what damage do you envisage..?
If a belt starts to come apart, it can whip sections of itself around the engine compartment and break things. I actually had this happen with a Buick Roadmaster when I had the belt one tooth off. It ended up snagging and tearing up some wires - not a big deal that time, but you never know what could happen.
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This has been added to the Tech Tips and such sticky.
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