How do I change the serpentine belt on my 01 dodge intrepid?

When inspecting the belt, if it appears to be glazed (shiny), show cuts, cracks or other deterioration on either side or on the edges, has chunks missing from it, or is merely noisy鈥攊t has to be changed. It's helpful if you can determine the cause of a particular problem鈥攆rom normal wear to damage鈥攕o you can be assured that the replacement belt will last the full duration of its service life.



Before taking off the belt, check your service manual for any helpful tips that apply to your specific vehicle. One caution: as belt tensioners are sprung very tightly (some tighter than others), any %26quot;slips%26quot; involving the wrench used to loosen belt tension can cause serious personal injury, as well as damage to the surrounding area under the hood.

Ideally you should use the special service tool designed for belt-tension removal (via the tensioner). Be aware of where the tool will be positioned when tension is removed and make sure the tensioner is resting on its internal %26quot;stop.%26quot; Obviously, if the tool contacts another component before the tensioner stop is contacted, tension is not completely released and the tool will %26quot;jam%26quot; if left to rest in that position. The possibility of the tool slipping off of the tensioner is high, and injury will likely result.



Once tension is properly released, it's time to remove the belt. Start removal from the most easily accessed and largest pulley having the least amount of belt contact, if possible (sometimes this is the tensioner, sometimes not). Usually, it's just a matter of pulling the belt clear of the other pulleys and right out of the engine bay. However, sometimes engine mounts or other components such as splash shields first need to be removed. Once the belt is out, here are a few other components to inspect:



%26gt; Coolant pump for leakage (will cause belt noise if coolant gets on belt) or bad bearing



%26gt; Fan Clutch (if equipped) for fluid leakage



%26gt; Fan for damage (especially a problem with plastic fans)



%26gt; Tensioner unit for noisy pulley bearing or wear on tensioner mechanism





%26gt; Idler pulley(s) for noisy bearing or irregularly worn belt contact area (especially a problem on plastic pulleys)



%26gt; Any under hood component that is making contact with or is close to the belt, tensioner, or any pulleys



%26gt; Any other source of fluid leakage onto the belt



With all of that correct, the belt can now be installed. Since all replacement belts are not created equal, get the best quality belt possible. The same cautions highlighted earlier should be observed on reinstallation. Be patient. Route the belt in reverse order of removal, keeping especially vigilant about making sure that the belt ribs are set correctly in the pulley grooves, and the back of the belt is squarely contacting the tensioner and idler pulley(s), before starting the engine.



If applicable, note the tensioner position %26quot;scale%26quot; (its arrow should be somewhere between the two lines on the other half of the tensioner, preferably on the %26quot;tight%26quot; side). If it's way off, the belt may be incorrect.



phew...hope that helps.