Tips on How to Replace a Belt on Your Vehicle

If you have a bad belt in your car, or you just want to replace one, you do not have to take it to a mechanic to do this. You can probably do it your self with little hassle, especially if your car is a classic from the eighties or older.

The first thing you should always do before you work on your vehicle is find a repair manual for it. a repair manual does more then tell you how to fix things, it also tells you the specifics about your vehicle. For instance it will tell you the type of belts your car needs to operate. This will be extremely useful when you go looking for one at your local auto parts store.

Now that you have your repair manual take a look at your engine. There should be an easy to access pulley that has the belt you want to take off attached to it. You will see a large bolt on the pulley that will need to be taken off. If the belt is so loose that you can not get it off, or if you need to take it off because no belt is on it. Usually there is a spot in it for you to stick a screw driver in order to stop it from moving. Now take a ratcheting wrench and a socket large enough to turn the nut on the pulley and take it off. This should loosen the belt enough for you to slide it off of the other pulleys and take it out of the engine compartment. You will want to replace the part of the pulley that came off, and put the nut back on very loosely. This way you will not accidently loose these parts while you are getting the new belt.

Go to your local auto parts store, Such as AutoZone, and take the belt with you if you can. Ask the Person behind the desk for if they have the belt for your specific vehicle. They probably do. But if they don't they will probably have to order it. If you have an older car you might be able to just get a belt of the right size so remember to look in your repair manual.

Once you have a belt that will fit your vehicle. Take off the pulley you took off before and slip the belt over all of the other pulleys keeping it tight. Now replace the pulley you took off and tighten it down. Be careful that you put the belt in the correct place. If you did not the belt will tear apart as the engine is running, and you will have to start all over again.