OK...I searched and saw a few threads, and it doesn't sound too hard, but I want to make sure. Here is what happened to me. It rained alot here in Tucson tonight, and I drove through some deep water, and my serpentine belt slipped off I guess. My steering was hard as hell, the AC wasnt cold, and the truck started running hot. I was able to get it home, about a mile, maybe. Do you think I damaged anything? But most of all, how hard is that belt to change? I just hit 40k miles, so I guess it is time to change it anyways. And should I get a gatorback belt? If so, does anyone have to correct part number?

 

first of all, welcome to the site. second of all, you need a sig so we can see what year, engine etc.

and third, i'll be in tucson at U of A in august!

 

Ok, sorry about all that, but I have a 2002 Edge Reg. Cab with a 3.0 manual.
Good thing you weren't here tonight, it's like a tornado blew through, I just went out to look at my truck and saw that my mailbox is completely gone. It's not within 500 ft. of my house in either direction.

 

Its not hard, but its alot easier if you have three arms, or a friend to help you, that way one person can pull on the tensioner while the other maneuvers the belt onto the pulleys.

 

theres a tool u can use to unload the tensionor but i just use 2 wrenches. pull up/down on the tensionor and remove the belt.

the gatorback belts, IMO arent worth the hype. i use a good DACCO replacement and i've been satisfied.

and damaging anything, as long as there isnt any visual damage u should be ok. u didnt over heat the motor at all, did ya?

 

well, I got it done, I just put the same belt back on, as it looked to be in pretty good condition, and I need my truck in the morning to get to summer school. I had to wait until one of my roommates came home, so he could crank on the belt tensioner while I pulled on the belt. Props to anyone who ever put one of those on by themselves, it was a formidable opponent. Thanks for the help guys!

 

You do not need 3 people to do this. It is very simple and can be done with by just yourself. Requires a wrench, socket, and a new belt! Simple attach the socket to the tensioner and push downward, releasing the tension of the belt. With the other hand remove the belt off a nearby pulley. Then it is loose and the rest will remove quite easily. I used a gatorback the 2nd round with my belt. The squeak in the rain was terrible.