1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main 9000 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Remove the liner Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Fri, 11 Feb 2005 08:19:48 In Reply to: Serpentine Belt Pulley Replacement - advice?, Lawrence, Fri, 11 Feb 2005 08:12:58 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I guess it may be theoretically possible to do the job from above, but you'll spend more time and lose more skin doing it that way. Really. Removing the wheel-well inner liner is not a big deal, and once it's off, the rest of the job becomes MUCH easier. Liner install-removal does come easier with practice.
Before going in, I'd do some inspections from above. First, with the engine running, look at how the belt rides on the tensioner pulley. Does the belt ride in the center of the pulley, or off to one side? It should be in the center. Look for rubber bits on the sides of the bracket arms that hold the pulley - that's a sign of the belt shifting and wearing on the side.
Next, draw a line across the face of the main pulley - the big one way down. Chalk works fine. Start the car a few times, and see if the line still lines up. If it doesn't, it means that the inner and outer parts of the pulley are separating. That can cause some of the problems you state. That requires replacing the main pulley (harmonic balancer).
I make a point of replacing the tensioner and idler pulleys every 60K miles. I like doing the serpentine belt every 30K. For the work involved, it makes sense to replace both the idler and tensioner pulley. You need to remove the tensioner pulley in order to remove the belt. I'd also assume that if the pulley is stressed, so is the belt.
Check the archives. There is a lot on serpentine belt replacement, and a lot of good information out there on how to do it easily. And remove that fender inner liner. It's worth it.
posted by 192.249....
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.