How To Install Replace Serpentine Belt 1997-2003 Chevy Malibu
Created on: 2011-09-23
If your serpentine belt slips or squeaks, it's time to replace it! Learn how to do it yourself by watching this 1A Auto video.
-
step 1 :Lifting the Engine
- Remove the two 15mm nuts on either side of the engine mounts (spray with penetrating oil)
- Loosen the two 18mm bolts on the engine mount next to the serpentine belt
- Place a jack underneath the oil pan
- Jack the engine up
- Remove the 18mm bolts
- Slide the engine mount back and out
- Remove the two lines going over the serpentine belt to help you see
-
step 2 :Removing the Serpentine Belt
- Put a 3/8 ratchet handle or drive bar into the tensioner and carefully loosen the belt
- Pull the belt free from the pulleys
-
step 3 :Replacing the Serpentine Belt
- Put a loop down underneath the crank shaft (lowest, largest pulley)
- Then the AC compressor (lowest and closest to the front of the vehicle)
- Bring it up under the power steering pulley
- Reach down and pull it back to the idler pulley
- Then down around the tensioner pulley and up to the altenator
- Using the 3/8 bar loosen the tensioner and push the belt under the idler pulley
- Tighten the tensioner
- Check the belt and make sure it is set properly
-
step 4 :Remounting the Engine
- Start the two 18mm bolts
- Lower the engine
- Tighten the 18mm bolts
- Replace the 10mm nuts
- Reconnect the hoses
Tools needed
-
Socket Extensions
15mm Socket
Jack Stands
18mm Socket
Ratchet
Swivel
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Hi, I'm Mike Green. I'm one of the owners of 1A Auto. I want to help you save time and money repairing and maintaining your vehicle. I'm going to use my 20 plus years experience restoring and repairing cars and trucks like this to show you the correct way to install parts from 1AAuto.com. The right parts installed correctly, that's going to save you time and money. Thank you and enjoy the video. In this video we're going to show you how to replace the serpentine belt on this 2001 Chevy Malibu, pretty much the same as any '97 to '03 Malibu with the 3.1L. Tools you'll need are a jack or engine hoist, 15mm and 18mm sockets with ratchet and extensions and then you need a 3/8drive, you either need a flexible bar or the ratchet handle.
You're serpentine belt obviously right here on the passenger's side of your engine. What you actually need to do is remove this engine mount, which involves removing two 18mm bolts here and then two 15mm nuts. One there and one down there. That is the engine mount so you either need to support here with an engine crane or you need to use a jack and support underneath the oil pan here. Do not jack the car up yet. You actually just want to support the weight of the engine. Spray some penetrating oil on those studs down lower and I'm going to cheat a little bit. 15mm socket and impact wrench. No reason you can't reach everything pretty easily with just a regular ratchet and extension. Now I've got my 18mm socket on here. I'm going to loosen up one of these bolts. I'm going to start loosening the other bolt and you're going to see the engine falling which is actually more the car rising. What you want to do now is take your jack and jack the engine up. Now it's supporting the engine and you can remove these bolts the rest of the way.
Then this mount comes up, slide it back and right out. I'm just going to remove these two lines just to make it easier for you to see. Now what you want to do is take your jack and jack the engine up a little bit extra. Now, right down in here, is your tensioner. What I have is a little flex arm. What we want to do with this flex arm is put it down. Here's a 3/8 hole at the bottom of the tensioner. You want to put it in just like that. Here's my bar, reach in and pull the bar up which pulls on the tensioner and releases the tension on the belt and you can pull the belt off and then slowly release your bar back down. Be careful not to pinch your fingers.
Take the bar out and then just take your belt off of all the pulleys. Here is your belt routing diagram. This is key make sure you have this before you take the belt off and if you don't have this, make sure you draw yourself a diagram similar so you can get the belt on again. It's kind of hard to film this so you're just going to have to take my word that I'm doing what I say I'm doing. Take your belt and you want to put a loop down underneath the crankshaft which is the lowest largest pulley and then the AC compressor, which is the pulley that's lowest and closest to the front of the vehicle. Then it comes up under this power steering pulley and right up over here.
Now, I'm going to reach down and pull it back to this idler pulley here and then around and under the tensioner pulley. Then I can pull it up on top of my alternator right here. Now, I'm all routed except for beside my pulley. Now I take my 3/8 bar down into my tensioner. Use both hands, pull the bar up. Grab on to my belts here and slip it under the idler pulley. Let my tensioner go a couple off a little bit here. Just have to check. Make sure your belt's on correctly everywhere. It does look like it's not quite on my crank pulley correctly. Pull up again on the tensioner. Reach down. I just got to flip it a little bit.
Now it's on there correctly. It appears to be on everywhere correctly. We're going to kind of just speed through putting the stuff back in. Put the mount back down in there and then you can let your engine down just a little bit. Start the two top bolts on the mount and kind of preliminary tighten them up. Then you can let the engine all the way down and take the jack out and then start your 15mm nuts on top and preliminarily tighten them as well. Here, I'm just reconnecting those hoses that I moved out of your way. Now use a wrench, make sure that the mount bolts are tight but not too tight.
We hope this helps you out.
Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll free 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the internet and in person.
How To Replace Alternator Fan Belt 2000-04 Subaru Outback
How to repair, install, fix, change or replace a broken, cracked, snapped or cut serpentine belt on Subaru Outback years 00, 01, 02, 03, and 04.
