I just learned I had to do this on my car and your video is awesome for a first time through the process! Great narration and clear video - you're the man.
Its easier to put the belt on at the tensioner pulley than trying to get the belt over the top of the edge of the top pulley. The back of the belt is flat as is the smooth pulley. My daughters 2004 Camry I had to do this way and it was the only way, belt wouldn't go over the top small pulley. As soon as I did this it slide on. Also some tensioners have a "hole" in the arm that you can put a small bolt or nail to hold it from going back, there is a "hole" in the side of the engine to match. Saw this on tiktok. Not sure if all vehicles are this way but that one was. Leave the "pin" in while you change the belt.
Thanks for the video, it was a big help. If you don't have a nice guide tool, it helps to remove the front passenger wheel and two plastic push screws that allow access to the crankshaft and AC pulley. An extra set of hands helps too when putting on the belt. I used a honda oem belt and had no issues replacing it. I also used the serpentine belt tool from harbor freight that looked similar to the craftsman you used in this video.
What worked for me in the past is a 1/2" breaker bar with a deep socket wide enough to fit over handle of a low profile craftsman ratchet wrench (the kind where the socket has external teeth and fits into a hole on the handle).
Thanks. I tried to replace the belt but even with the special tool from O'Reilly Auto I just couldn't get the belt on. I discovered that O'Reilly also has a tool that is like a derailer on the railroad. Apparently if you move the belt by turning one of the pulleys the tool forces the belt sideways and onto the pulley. It's been a while but I seem to recall I had that same problem with the other tool to relieve the tension applied by the tensioner. The handle bumped up against something, as you demonstrated, before I could get the last millimetre or two of travel and get that bad boy on. Anyway, next time I give it a try I'll try to get that extra travel with the detensioner tool and also use the derailer gizmo. Great video.
Thanks bud',,,... took my gf to work today, noticed the ALT light came on...no heat,,,... I knew that bastard came off. Your vid was the first one to come up. Good video. Can't show how its done any better brother! Looks like you had better weather than i'm gonna' have. Its 27F out this morning and snowing in Michigan.. time for me to get to it and bust up a few knuckles hahaha. \,,/
Great video thank you. So I think I want to replace the belt, tensioner and top pulley which I am hoping eliminates my clicking noise that I am pretty certain is coming from one of these parts. I believe a simple offset 14 mm wrench and cheater should do the same thing as your custom (nice by the way).. removing those two parts looks pretty straightforward - I don't have a power steering reservoir so I believe the top pulls is just an idler pulley like yours. Thanks for commenting back.
condor5635 THANKS! Yes, that's how I did it originally until I made that "tool". It is a straight forward job on the tensioner and top pulley. Good luck.
Wow so early to be changing it! My wifes crv now around 160k, i think its been time! Havent seen cracking yet, but the color is faded to brown. Assuming the cracking is coming anytime & its past time, better do it
Nice job. Very clear presentation. I haven't had any problem threading the belt without that Sears tool you showed. I'm right at the point of pulling the tensioner back and trying to get the belt over the top pulley but so far it's not happening. No way can I do it like you did with just a little bit of force with your fingers. I just replaced my alternator so I'm hoping that I somehow didn't mount it incorrectly, though I rather doubt it as I did it carefully. I got the same tensioner release tool from O'Reilly's on a loaner basis and it works well with my own 14mm socket just as you did it. I'm puzzled as I think I'm pulling the tensioner back as far as it will go but it doesn't seem to be far enough to allow the belt to slip over the top pulley. I got sick of messing with it tonight but will report back if it turns out I made a mistake somewhere.
I tried to put the aftermarket serpentine belt on but it was about 3/4" too short. It was the exact same one you showed and I also verified it with a Honda dealer so I know I had the right belt. It proved to be impossible to install. The old belt was still in good shape so I put it back on till I can find a different belt of the right length.
@@richrd0001 ive been a tech for 4 years now. Lube tech 10 years before that. I know my way around vehicles and have done crv belts several times. But i am in this position. The aftermarket belt will not slip on. Crazy
I have a 2014 CRV. I’ve been inspecting the belt every week since I passed 100k miles. It’s now at 124k miles, and the belt is not showing any cracks or signs of wear. I have a new spare belt in the car, but I want to see how long I can go. Once I see signs of wear, I’ll report back here
Mark Abreu THANK YOU! If it isn't loose and the bearings do not wobble I wouldn't. Mine is fine so far at about 130,000 miles BUT all vehicles are different.
Well I'm gonna go outside and try this pain in the ass job right now. It seems I really screwed up by trying to stop some squeak with white grease. Then it only made it worse. Now it squeaks more and there are a whole bunch of different squeaks. I thought my old auto shop teacher in high school put a dab of white grease on the belt to stop the squeak. Probably was a fan belt I was thinking of.
Interesting statement David Cox. Is Honda having issues with the CVT trans? Is it a bad design? Your input would be appreciated. I am sure Honda won't be going back to the regular old fashion transmissions. This is my first Honda vehicle [other than a 2012 Honda Goldwing motorcycle] and decided to go Honda because of their reputation.
Thge engineers behind the design of this set up should be dragged out into the street and run over with their own car...starting with who ever put the tensioner bolt directly in front of thre motor mount that will only allow a combined socket+ratchet total width of 1" (if that). The guy who designed the tensioner pully that requires 1/4" more "pull" than is actually possible with any sort of tool used for leverage should be made to watch what happens to the first guy prior to his turn to be flattened by his own design. Last but not least the guy behind the 2007 CRV cooling system design (with the heater pipe that is held in place only by the will of whichever god of your choosing) should be dragged behind the "crusher" car fromthe git go. This is a great video...thank you very much. I found removing that front wheel helpful along with casting insults at this particuliar Honda's mother for the better part of the entire job. I hate Honda's from here on out.
Thank you Matt Morgan. I agree, but so many things have been made harder to work on. Just recently I bought a $166.00 screen separator so I could change my cell phone battery. The back and the battery is glued in! How stupid! They want you to buy a new phone or pay someone to do it. Engineers should have to work on what they design. It may keep things simple.
tony1946 THANKS! I would but it was made "on the fly" so to speak. I welded the wrench to the round stock keeping it longer than needed. It basically was trial and error with multiple bends and angles as I went along in the process. Nothing exact.
@@starastronomer No, it's actually much easier, but you'd be messed up if you followed this video because the tensioner has a arm where you would place the socket unto. Routing is totally different. Like I said, the video is great but it's just not the same animal.
#MRUGA2010 I just changed my belt again last week. Change around every 50,000 miles. It was not cracked at all, fine condition. Better safe than sorry. Then I keep the old belt in my car just in case. When you do a job yourself it is affordable to change parts sooner than later.
