Serpentine Belt

[kpaske]

Well, I finally got it back on after quite a struggle and many lacerations of the forearms from that daggum fan shroud... The trick was to start the bolts on the tensioner, but to leave them loose to give it just a tiny bit of play. Then I was able to just barely pull the belt over the last pulley. This was definitely not as easy for me as it was for others!!

[Ldub]

Sorry to post this too late...but this is what Morgan-tec was referring to in his post:

Also, I don't know if the "Gatorback" will last 3 times as long as the economy belt, but nothing is too good for our VX's!
Good to hear that you got it on without losing a limb or something.

Ldub

[Moncha]

The Gator Back is the best belt and quietest out there but, always make sure to change it in the intervals as required save you alot of headaches.

You don't have to remove anything to get the belt on or off. The tensioner as depicted by #3 in the above photo "gives" enough to allow the removal/replacement of the belt. The trick is to have a long enough "Cheater" bar (Mine is a 12"). Put the socket on the tensioner pulley's bolt and instead of turning left, as to loosen, turn right and the tensioner will "flex" downward, allowing the belt to slide off. Do the same when replacing the belt.

[kpaske]

Yeah, after reading Morgan-Tec's post, I tried something like that, but my best "cheater" bar was a 1/2" drive and I didn't have a 14mm socket or convertor to fit it, so that method wasn't working for me. Even if I had it though, I'm not sure if it would have worked... When I would pull up on the belt with both hands, the tensioner would flex all the way to the bump stop and I still couldn't get the belt to stretch quite far enough. It wasn't until I loosened up the bolts on the tensioner that there was enough play for me to get the belt on. Either way, next time I have to change the belt (probably when I do my timing belt in another couple of weeks), I'll try that method and let you guys know if it works out better.

[Moncha]

Depending on your height, standing higher up may help you create more leverage to push down.