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How to install serpentine belt?

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#42 ·
I followed giantpeon's routing sequence. The last pulley to route was the alternator, which was a definite pain in the butt like everyone said in the forum. However, it was a pain in the butt because of two reasons:

1. I think the belt was slipping off of the AC pulley while I was putting the belt on the alternator and pushing against the tensioner bolt.

2. It finally dawned on me to me to try to lift the edge of the belt closest to the alternator pulley rather than the farthest edge. That should've been common sense, but it wasn't.

It took me about 2 hours to finish!
 
#43 · (Edited)
I tried to replace my son's 2008 EX serpentine belt but the replacement belt Honda OEM
04301-RNA-307 was too tight to get over the alt pulley. Side by side with the belt on
the car it is shorter. No part number on the old belt. I ordered the Bando 7PK20170B.
Will try that belt when I get a chance.
Thanks for the info

Ok, I replaced the belt this morning with Bando belt (7PK20170B), all OK. Still don't understand why the Honda belt (04301-RNA-307) didn't fit, was too short?
 

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#44 ·
There are two established routing of serpentine belt for this engine. The first one used a short routing needing a short belt. However this caused problems in early 8th gens. In a great number of them, the bolt holding the auto tensioner would shear off. To address this issue, Honda issued a service bulletin recommending a new belt routing (the longer one).
 

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#45 ·
elsonhuge said:
There are two established routing of serpentine belt for this engine. The first one used a short routing needing a short belt. However this caused problems in early 8th gens. In a great number of them, the bolt holding the auto tensioner would shear off. To address this issue, Honda issued a service bulletin recommending a new belt routing (the longer one).
Click to expand...
I don't know if you can see the 3rd picture in post #43, the new belt (Honda-04301-RNA-307) has the new routing pattern on the sleeve but did not fit my son's 08 Civic EX, it was too short? Bando belt (7PK20170B) fit perfectly.
 
#48 ·
The Honda belt should fit as it is OEM, I bought a Continental Belt and it's the same length as the Honda one ... Still haven't got it on :(! Freakin' 19mm 12 point wrench destroyed the tensioner (rounded off) now have to install a new one, more work ! ... Got a 6 point 19 mm, waiting for the new tensioner ... What a Pita !
 
#50 ·
lol ya 12pts are good for messing stuff up lol Ahh the innocence when starting out. 12pt on a 6pt fastener will yield frustrating results. Also when using a ratchet you have to push inward just as much if not more than turning the ratchet sideways because you need to prevent rounding off the fastener. When I did this on my friends r18, you have to put a lot of force on the tensioner and slowly it will go back. First time I tried to move it I thought it was seized. Good luck!
 
#51 ·
2010SiSedanStickShift said:
lol ya 12pts are good for messing stuff up lol Ahh the innocence when starting out. 12pt on a 6pt fastener will yield frustrating results. Also when using a ratchet you have to push inward just as much if not more than turning the ratchet sideways because you need to prevent rounding off the fastener. When I did this on my friends r18, you have to put a lot of force on the tensioner and slowly it will go back. First time I tried to move it I thought it was seized. Good luck!
Click to expand...
 
#54 ·
jologs said:
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.
Click to expand...

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!
 
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