PK_Lex Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 My car's drive belt is in bad shape and needs to be replaced. I've purchased the belt and I'm going to try replacing it myselft following the tutorial that lexls has put up. It seems pritty straightforward looking at those directions. But I'm wondering is it really as simple as it looks? On a scale of 1-10 how difficult you think is it? Are there any tips, warnings or any thing I should be cautious about when doing it? I have recently become a DIY guy and would like learn and do it myself instead of going to an independent mechanic. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK_Lex Posted March 4, 2005 Author Share Posted March 4, 2005 One more thing....after replacing the belt with new one, how do I know if I have tightened it enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFeldes Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Very simple!!! Just put a wrench on the tension pully {Spring Loaded} and turn I believe clockwise and then slip the old belt off. You should find a diagram under the hood of the belt position. Just follow that and release the tension pully and you are done. If there is not a diagram then draw a sketch of the position of the old belt and double check it for accuracy. Also keep the old belt in the trunk for emergencies on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK_Lex Posted March 4, 2005 Author Share Posted March 4, 2005 Cool. Ok, so the tension pully is spring loadded. I guess after replacing, the pulley falls back into its place and tightens the belt back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicol-ini Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 yes, it goes back and automatically adjusts thru the tensioner, keep in mind there is a certain range hwere it should be, its visible on the belt tensioner itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Econ Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 The ranges are marked with an "A" and a "B", by the way - "B" is the good range, "A" means the belt is stretching and needs to be replaced. RFeldes made an excellent point that will save you some time and headaches - definitely take a good look at where the belt goes. Because of the way it fits on, it's almost impossible to get it in the wrong places and still have tension, but it can drive you crazy trying to figure out where everything goes. Below is the '91 LS400 drive belt layout with the tensioner expansion direction shown. Good luck, butyou shouldn't have much trouble with this - definitely a 1 on the scale of 1 to 10. Take your time, and make sure the belt is snug in all the right grooves before turning the engine over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK_Lex Posted March 4, 2005 Author Share Posted March 4, 2005 This is awesome. Thanks for all the tips. I will print this diagram for guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexls Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 Yeah, it's quite simple: http://www.lexls.com/drivebelt.html FYI, there is a sticker under the hood that shows the proper routing of the belt ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexusing Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Yeah, it's quite simple: http://www.lexls.com/drivebelt.html FYI, there is a sticker under the hood that shows the proper routing of the belt ;) ← My 96 LS drive belt is making noise recently when it is cold outside. The noise will stop once the engine is warm. I had this belt and the timing belt replace about a year ago. Is this noise normal? If not, how can I adjust the tension on it? Another question, if this belt tensioner is spring loaded, should it adjust by itsef? pls advise.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicol-ini Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 yes its spring loaded and it is self adjusting,depends on the serpentine belt, it has a range, that should fall in. read along and there is also a topic about this, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK_Lex Posted March 7, 2005 Author Share Posted March 7, 2005 I changed the belt and it took me about an hour. It felt so good after doing it especially since this was one of the first things I've done on a car. I'm looking forward to doing more things on my own now. Thanks for all your help and special thanks to Lexls's tutorial and the diagram that Econ provided which I used when doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agc Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Hello all, I just got a 2000 LS400 and am also hearing some noise from the belt (serpentine) and just orderd the part. I wanted to know if this DIY also applies to the 2000 model. This would be my first DIY for this car and want to make sure I have some instructions before I start working on it. Thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lextreme Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 I hope this will help.... good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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