Celica Forums General Discussion Engine and Performance changin the serpentine drive belt!

has anyone done this themselves????

and if so, could i get a run-down of the procedure.

edit: oh yeah, this is a 2k GTS

from what I know that you have to remove the alternator to take it off

^^ um no.

You'll need to pull back the belt tensioner and simply remove the belt. takes about 1 minute to get it off if you dunno where or what the belt tensioner is I can go make some pics of how to do it a lil later. I'll have time in about an hour

good luck.

sup lucky, can you take pics of it, i just ordered a gatorback belt. I am goin to do the install myself so any pics and/or tips would be very helpful. o yeah, thanx again for doin my lift bolt way back then.
-minh

no problem. I'm gonna head out anddo the pics now

damnit thx for correcting, I wasn't sure because I have never done it before. oh well now i know.

ok this wont be 56 k friendly. this is your warning

yup.

ok 5 pics so please be patient.


#1 - this is a tool you'll need. the socket is 19mm

this is where you will put the socket

here is a zoomed out view for orientation

now here's me playing the role of sexy hand model

You'll want to pull towards the front of the car.

with your free hand simply slip the belt off of the alternator and you're pretty much done. just pull the remainder of the blet out from underneath the car. If this takes you more then 5 minutes you shouldnt be workin on your own car

ok do I get a brownie now ?

I actually had to use a breaker bar on mine, but that was because it was really hard to manipulate. (I believe it was a 3/4 bar, that sound right Lucky? Not sure how that would translate to mm)

It also helps to remove or peel back the passenger side wheel well plastics so that you can properly and easily mount the belt on the lower pulleys that can't be easily seen/reached from above the car.


Bottom line is, if the belt is not tight after you have mounted it and let go of the belt tensioner, then it isn't on right.


Make sure that you have the belt on correctly because if you bypass certain pulleys, or mount in on the wrong side of the pulley, then you can have engine failure.


Here's how the belt should be routed...

I use that tool cause you can use a cheater pipe to make the job easier if its hard to pull.

whoa, thanx guys! thatz pretty much the method i had in mind but the wrench i was using didn't give me enough torque to compress the tensioner piston. guess i'll have to try the breaker bar or a cheater pipe.

i've heard ppl talk about applying "belt dressing" to a new belt, is that necessary or no?

NO! Belt dressing is a bad idea. Basically, if your belt is on right, it's not necessary. It's a product designed to treat a symptom of a slipping or noisy belt, however it doesn't FIX the problem. Another big problem with belt dressing is if they are silicone based they end up heating up and weakening the belt and acting as a lubricant. If they are a "sticky" type of base they also end up acting as a lubricant because engine temps cause their ingredients to become more fluid like; in addition to holding dust, dirt, and all sorts of other no no's that can either damage your belt or cause it to fall off track.

The moral: Never use a belt dressing.

^^ what he said. I like that particular tool cause it allows me to use the handle of my hydraulic jack as a cheater pipe I'm not s trong guy and I can pull it down usin a cheater with like 2 fingers lol it's a very handy tool to keep around

Yup.

I also recommend an extra person to help you out. Makes it easier to take it off, and a hell of a lot easier to mount the new belt.

^^ yeah definitely helps when puttin it back on.

Sorry to bring up an old post, but I don't want to make a new thread.

Is this basically the same for the GT?

im not sure, however if you have an extra car...take off the belt first and make sure its the right size they give you...PepGirls gave me a belt like a half of an inch to short and me n my friend spent an hour to put it on...went back and got my money back, went to Napa and got the right belt and it took me n my friend like a minute to put it on...pissed me off