mjones1160 Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I just received a Gates serpentine V-Belt replacement kit I purchased from RockAuto. It includes a new V-belt, belt tensioner and idler #2 pulley. I see that the belt tensioner bolt on the bottom appears to be blocked by the generator mount. Do I have to remove the generator just to replace the drive belt tensioner? The parts diagram in the repair manual (CD) page 14-19 only shows a bolt and two nuts securing it. There are 4 holes for bolts on the new tensioner provided in the kit. There are no tensioner replacement instructions included or in the Lexus service manual. The radiator hose is already a pain to work around. Removing the generator to get to the lower bolt would be another added task.It seems to this job easily, I would have to drain the coolant to remove the radiator hose as well. Is replacing the tensioner really necessary when the belt is changed. I am already second guessing the belt replacement as there are no major cracks in the belt, just minor age cracks with no chunks missing on the V-grooved side. The vehicle has 104,000 miles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchan865 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Speaking of the belt tensioner, I'd have to replace mine. The belt screeches loudly when turning on the car(2004 model with ~160K miles) then goes away. Mechanic told me the tensioner is stuck. He helped me loosen it and spray a bit of WD40 on it. He told me there is a 50/50 chance if fixing it. Unfortunately issue has returned about couple of weeks so will have to get it replaced. I am just curious. Do you have to remove the radiator to replace it? The area looks cramp so I suspect at the very least, the radiator fan has to be removed first. But if the radiator has to be removed, I am considering replacing the radiator for a small pin leak. If the radiator does not need removal, I could replace it when I do my 2nd timing belt change in a few years. Mjones, did you eventually replace the tensioner or just the serpentine belt? If you did, did you remove the radiator? I replaced by timing belt at about 106K and the dealer never replace my tensioner, just the serpentine belt In hindsight, I probably should have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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