If it's an r18 you can try leaving the belt off the alternator pulley, compress the tensioner and hope you can get it over the alternator pulley once it's compressed. It's a hydraulic tensioner so it's gonna be a real pita to compress, do it slowly, I have these nice 0 degree offset wrenches that are pretty long and do a really good job.

 

I ended up buying this kit from Napa to get enough leverage to be able to work the tensioner, and it was still a PITA.

 

I ended up buying this kit from Napa to get enough leverage to be able to work the tensioner, and it was still a PITA.

i used the exact same kit with great sucess. I dont really know why people are having trouble changing their serpentine belt, simply attach this tool(or a breaker bar) with a 14mm socket and rotate the belt tensioner towards the firewall. from start to finish it took me about 10mins

 

wow man you actually used that on there? I have one of those too and used it on one hydraulic tensioner and that was it. Way too flimsy imo

 

What can I say? I'm a tool junkie.

What did you find flimsy about it? The combination of the ratcheting box-end wrench and the extension handle gave what I found to be a great amount of leverage and nice reach flexibility.

 

When I did mine I left ot off the alt pulley and I had the help of an old coworker to help it. I could believe how much of a pain it was.

 

This is the truth. Hell changing out the tensioner pivot bolt was a pain in the butt enough. You have to take the water pump pulley off.

Just some quick tips for anyone else reading this it might help.


- You will need an 8mm socket drive, don't try to do this with an 8mm alen wrench alone. (This is for those that are following the TSB to change the tensioner pivot bolt, if you are only changing the belt disregard)

- You will NEED a 10mm crows foot to properly torque the water pump pulley...as the TSB says.

- The Allen bit isj just barely too short for it to fit in the pivot bolt and clear the water pump pulley drive. What I ended up doing was adding a washer or two between the allen socket and the ratchet wrench head. Gave just enough clearance to get a few more clicks out of the wrench

- To release tension on the tensioner, you will need a buddy to help you unless you are bad-a. What I ended up doing was I put on the belt on all the pulleys except the alternator. Then I cranked the tensioner using a 19mm wrench (with a 22mm hooked on the open end for double leverage. Then I had my dad hook up a chain around the engine mount support to hold tension on the tensioner so I could then take my time and put the belt on the alternator without worrying about it slipping and breaking all my fingers.



BTW at 100k miles my serpentine belt was immaculate and did not really even need replaced. I believe 100k is the interval so I changed it anyone but the TSB with the potential tensioner bolt breaking and taking out your block was the main reason. Its only like $25 for the belt with the bolt. Peace of mind was worth it. Plus after seeing the little amount of room you have to work in that area, getting a broken bolt out (even if you could without tearing up the block, would be a pain)

hope this helps. + rep me yo!

 

You only paid 25 bucks for the bolt and belt??! That's a good deal, almost good enough for me to go change mine. I haven't changed the pivot bolt in mine either, not sure if I want to or not yet.

 

Yep and (obviously) its Honda OEM stuff since that belt has done so well for 100k!

 

you probably need some help... here you can take a look or visit the site for more info on how to replace a serpentine belt just by yourself..

 

Yeah I'm just a noob. Thanks for linking to some generic serpentine belt article. Try it yourself and then come back and tell me.

 

or, you can take it to the stealership

 

ahha ..just clicked one the link ..i have that kit lol ...love it ..works great on any engine that has a hydraulic type tensioner system. Works great as a breaker bar too, reaches in some pretty tight spots and u can put on any socket with the adapters..I love it ! Drive belts pay an hour, with this tool u can get it done in 5-10 mins max.

 

serpentine belt tool FTW

 

I was able to do this without a helper. Using the box end of a 22mm wrench to extend the 19mm saved my... Great tip, thanks!

 

honda belt changes suck. infamous crank pulley bolts and now this?!

 

Hi everyone .... first post and I was wondering if anyone had a diagram or could direct me to what the belt tension on a 206 civic looks like ? so confused

 

I had a lot of trouble changing the belt. First, I could not loosen the belt without a serpentine belt tool that had a ratchet built in. I rented 2 from Auto Zone and O’Reily and they did not work. I had to buy this GearWrench 3680 Ratcheting Wrench Serpentine Belt Tool from Amazon . It worked great! The second main problem was I finally found out was that Honda changed the belt routing. So every new belt I bought was longer than the old one. You need the new belt routing diagram. See the old and the new routing.
Tip: it is MUCH easier to work on the belt if you take the time to jack up and remove the passenger site front tire and open the little access door.

Old Belt Routing (do not try to use with new belts)

New Belt Routing

 

I had a lot of trouble changing the belt. First, I could not loosen the belt without a serpentine belt tool that had a ratchet built in. I rented 2 from Auto Zone and O’Reily and they did not work. I had to buy this GearWrench 3680 Ratcheting Wrench Serpentine Belt Tool from Amazon . It worked great! The second main problem was I finally found out was that Honda changed the belt routing. So every new belt I bought was longer than the old one. You need the new belt routing diagram. See the old and the new routing.
Tip: it is MUCH easier to work on the belt if you take the time to jack up and remove the passenger site front tire and open the little access door.

Old Belt Routing (do not try to use with new belts)
image



New Belt Routing

image

I tried routing this with the new diagram and it is extremely tight and I have been unable to get the belt back over the alternator. I don't remember it being this tight taking it off. I have a 2009 civic.

 

I just replaced the serpentine belt on my LX this weekend, I read all the tips mentioned in this thread and some. Please allow me to share my experience.

As a summary, here are the steps I followed.
1. Remove front right wheel (make sure to use jack stand for safety)
2. Unclip service access panel (so you can see the crankshaft), this will be helpful later.
3. Locate the tensioner bolt, I used Gearwrench 3680 tool as suggested here and slowly pushed the handle bar towards the rear of the car.
4. Slide the belt off the alternator, then remove the Gearwrench tool and keep it near.
5. Before removing the belt completely, make a mental picture of the belt route around the pulleys. Better yet, use Smorgasborg's diagram (that's easier for me).
6. Install the new belt (I bought Bando #7PK2170, $18.41 + shipping from Amazon). I found it easier to start from the crankshaft and working my way up.
7. Hold the belt near the alternator pulley, put back the Gearwrench tool on the tensioner bolt. Slowly push the handle bar towards the rear of the car, and slide the belt onto the alternator pulley when able.

The entire job probably took 40-45 minutes (leisurely). Many thanks to everyone who previously shared their advices.

 

I just replaced the serpentine belt on my LX this weekend, I read all the tips mentioned in this thread and some. Please allow me to share my experience.

As a summary, here are the steps I followed.
1. Remove front right wheel (make sure to use jack stand for safety)
2. Unclip service access panel (so you can see the crankshaft), this will be helpful later.
3. Locate the tensioner bolt, I used Gearwrench 3680 tool as suggested here and slowly pushed the handle bar towards the rear of the car.
4. Slide the belt off the alternator, then remove the Gearwrench tool and keep it near.
5. Before removing the belt completely, make a mental picture of the belt route around the pulleys. Better yet, use Smorgasborg's diagram (that's easier for me).
6. Install the new belt (I bought Bando #7PK2170, $18.41 + shipping from Amazon). I found it easier to start from the crankshaft and working my way up.
7. Hold the belt near the alternator pulley, put back the Gearwrench tool on the tensioner bolt. Slowly push the handle bar towards the rear of the car, and slide the belt onto the alternator pulley when able.

The entire job probably took 40-45 minutes (leisurely). Many thanks to everyone who previously shared their advices.

Just replaced the alternator and the serpentine belt, 2007 Civic EX. Didn't have a Gearwrench, just used an additional wrench as leverage on the tension bar. First tried to put on the belt from inside the hood. No way. Getting in through the wheel well was so much easier. Got the job done in about 1 hour with my dad helping keep tension on the belt while I wrapped it around everything. Thanks for the tip!

 

How much can u rotate the tentsioner bolt. I hv only tried to rotate an inch. After that it gets too hard. Should I apply gradual force or is that how muchh they rotate? I don't want to break anything.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

its a hydraulic tensioner so it'll give you some resistance. install the belt on all
the other pulley and leave the tensioner pulley last. then rotate the tensioner
bolt towards the windshield slowly until you can slip the belt onto the pulley.

 

How am I able to know if my car needs the new pivot bolt and new rerouting with a different size belt?

Purchased my car used and not sure what the owner did previously.

2008 Honda Civic LX

 

Thanks everyone for all the info. I just purchased a Dayco serpentine belt from Pep Boys but after reading all this I'm thinking I need push this off to next week and order the Gearwrench 3680 tool. That or price this job out with a local mechanic figuring that this tool costs $50 it might be worth paying a mechanic between $125 - $170 to put it on a lift and save me time, hassle, headache, and sweat. If the job coast above $200 then I'll reconsider doing this myself. I rather do most of the repairs to my car myself but this just might be a total PITA worth avoiding. Thoughts? JB

 

My civic has 140k. Never changed the belt. Whats the worst thing that can happen if the belt snaps? Lose AC and alternator or what else...

 

You would lose power steering too. The power steering pump is driven by a pulley.

 

JB - Two thoughts:
1. You don't need the special tool as long as you have an extra long 0 degree offset box wrench (see this link for the type of wrenches I have and that I used for this job): GearWrench 85988 12 Piece Set Metric XL GearBox Ratcheting Wrench - - Amazon.com
If you happen to already have wrenches that are long and flat, they will work great.

2. The hardest part about this job is not the removal. It's the installation. Make sure you have the correct diagram and this tool: [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Wilmar-W84012-Belt-Hook-Tool/dp/B0002KO3YW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1434286158&sr=8-6&keywords=serpentine+belt+tool[/ame]
This tool is great for manipulating the belt onto the pulleys when you can't fit your hand in.

 

Just changed mine out with a new Conti belt. Got it installed in about 45 minutes.

You definitely need one of the low profile serpentine belt tools. But I did not spend the extra for the extra money for the gearwrench version. I also used a coat hanger to push the new belt down into place, that was the hardest part, as mentioned.

 

It a easy job

I just replaced Engine mount last night and should replace serpentine belt at the same time. Anyway, tools I need to complete this job are

Set metric wrench from Harbor Freight for $25 was on sale
1 1/2in of 18" steal pine $11 at Mernard.

Removed the belt was easy with front right wheel off and removed 3 retainers of plash guard in a wheel well, so I can see part of the last pulley. Without remove the wheel I can not remove and install the belt.

Installed new belt a bit challenging, my wife car just past 100K and the belt still in good shape-no crake at all. Checked old belt dimension just about 1/4" longer compare with new one part 04301-RNA-307. Prior crank tensioner back to install new belt, I taped the bottom of last pulley and belt tensioner(pulley on top of CS's pulley). This will prevent a belt come off while install the belt on alternator. When crank tensioner touch the engine mount bracket, the new belt is really tight to install. The best way is push it in on side way. Caution: DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGER IN BETWEEN PULLEY AND BELT.

Most of parts I order from Honda online like honda bernardi, honda village part is cheaper.

By the way, I have a water pump for $103 (06192-R1A-305) but not use it. Anyone interest please txt to 316.290.nightoneseveneight. I will ship it 2 day free

 

instructions without removing wheel

Hi,

I just finished this job. It took me a while to figure this out so i am sharing..

I did not want to remove the wheel. One key thing i got from this thread was to use two wrenches, one 19 and then another larger one connected together. This is a pretty well known trick and i had to google it to see and understand it. Also, in my case, when i connected the 19 mm, it was angled too far down and i had to use a wrench to leverage the 19 up above the front bumper assembly so that i could connect the larger wrench to the 19 (3 wrenched used at the same time). From that point on, i kept pushing up towards the windshield and put a wooden block on top of the bumper/plastic top to hold the larger wrench in place. Be sure to use a larger wrench that is not so large that it can slip off of the 19. The wrenches need to lock together, otherwise potential injury.

Once the old belt was off, i removed the wrenches.

This is the belt routing. The red route is used if there is no ac.

First we need to align the belt on the upper and lower pulleys. This can be done with a serpentine belt tool:

I used a home made one with some old thin steel tubing, a metal u clamp and some tape.

Its fairly easy to work the belt into this position. Note that the leftmost pulley is close to the car wall, and once in place, the car wall keeps the belt from slipping off the pulley. So basically the left side of belt is held in place naturally.

The next step is to keep the belt from slipping off of the CS pulley. It might slide off a bit, but as long as it does not slide off completely, its fairly easy to slip it back in place. I used a 1/2 inch copper tube to hold the belt in place. In the diagram, its illustrated as the vertical line.

I then used the tool to slip the belt around the water pump:

The next step was the toughest one to figure out. The tensioner pulley was the toughest one to put the belt around. If you bend down and look towards the back for the belt between the power steering pulley and the crank shaft pully, grab it in the middle and start pulling it back. Keep the belt somewhat taut when doing this to keep the belt on the pulleys.

Some of the belt might fall off of the crankshaft when you do this, but the tool can be used to put it back on. The main thing is that the vertical bar will keep it mostly in place. If the belt falls off of the crankshaft completely, you will probably need to start over.

This is what it looks like when you have success:

At this point, looping over the AC pulley is fairly easy. Keep the belt taut.

I then used the box wrench trick and the wood blocks to keep the tensioner/pulley open and looped the belt around the alternator pulley. I then checked all the pulleys to make sure that the belt was on properly. If not, loosen the tensioner just enough to push the belt in place.

Hope this helps.

 

missing pictures if not logged in

Hi,

It seems that the pictures i provided are missing if you are not logged in. I have also put the urls to the pics... You might still need to be logged in, but at least you know there are pics to help...

Hi,

I just finished this job. It took me a while to figure this out so i am sharing..

I did not want to remove the wheel. One key thing i got from this thread was to use two wrenches, one 19 and then another larger one connected together. This is a pretty well known trick and i had to google it to see and understand it. Also, in my case, when i connected the 19 mm, it was angled too far down and i had to use a wrench to leverage the 19 up above the front bumper assembly so that i could connect the larger wrench to the 19 (3 wrenched used at the same time). From that point on, i kept pushing up towards the windshield and put a wooden block on top of the bumper/plastic top to hold the larger wrench in place. Be sure to use a larger wrench that is not so large that it can slip off of the 19. The wrenches need to lock together, otherwise potential injury.

Once the old belt was off, i removed the wrenches.

This is the belt routing. The red route is used if there is no ac.

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84610.jpg
image


First we need to align the belt on the upper and lower pulleys. This can be done with a serpentine belt tool:

https://www.otctools.com/sites/default/files/7654A_9263_0.jpg
image


I used a home made one with some old thin steel tubing, a metal u clamp and some tape.

Its fairly easy to work the belt into this position. Note that the leftmost pulley is close to the car wall, and once in place, the car wall keeps the belt from slipping off the pulley. So basically the left side of belt is held in place naturally.

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84618.jpg
image


The next step is to keep the belt from slipping off of the CS pulley. It might slide off a bit, but as long as it does not slide off completely, its fairly easy to slip it back in place. I used a 1/2 inch copper tube to hold the belt in place. In the diagram, its illustrated as the vertical line.

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84626.jpg
image


I then used the tool to slip the belt around the water pump:

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84634.jpg
image


The next step was the toughest one to figure out. The tensioner pulley was the toughest one to put the belt around. If you bend down and look towards the back for the belt between the power steering pulley and the crank shaft pully, grab it in the middle and start pulling it back. Keep the belt somewhat taut when doing this to keep the belt on the pulleys.

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84642.jpg
image


Some of the belt might fall off of the crankshaft when you do this, but the tool can be used to put it back on. The main thing is that the vertical bar will keep it mostly in place. If the belt falls off of the crankshaft completely, you will probably need to start over.

This is what it looks like when you have success:

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84650.jpg
image


At this point, looping over the AC pulley is fairly easy. Keep the belt taut.

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/members/309394-albums13130-picture84658.jpg
image


I then used the box wrench trick and the wood blocks to keep the tensioner/pulley open and looped the belt around the alternator pulley. I then checked all the pulleys to make sure that the belt was on properly. If not, loosen the tensioner just enough to push the belt in place.

Hope this helps.

 

Interesting approach, I might have to try that.

 

tricks



I was once told that every job is somewhat easy once you know the tricks of the trade. I spent two hours futzing around with the belt without a strategy and without success. I actually took off the work gloves, went into the house and drew a diagram of what needed to be done to devise a strategy. Basically, its almost impossible to get the belt around the tension pulley without some sort of "trick". And to try and picture the solution while working on the car was impossible for me. Once i figured things out on paper, the belt was on in 10 minutes.