I am replacing a serpentine belt on a 2002 chevy cavalier my 3/8 breaker tool is too thick to reach the tensioner pulley. how can I get to that pulley otherwise to get the belt around the alternator.

1987 Chevrolet Celebrity Serpentine Belt Routing and Timing Belt Diagrams

I had to replace the belt on a 1988 Buick Century (similar to the Celebrity, but with a four-cylinder engine). I found that the only tool that could reach the belt tensioner in the limited space was a socket on a breaker bar; there wasn't room for a ratchet, and I couldn't get the correct angle for a wrench. There may be more room at the end of a V-6 The tensioner bolt is one of the larger metric sizes.

Clean all of the pulleys before installing the belt. Verify that the belt tensioner, water pump and alternator bearings are good - no rough spots or slop, and make sure the tensioner spring is good - the tensioner should require some force on the tensioner bolt head to move it, but it should not grind, hang, or have out-of-plane movement (perpendicular to the pulley rotation).

If everything looks good, you can install the belt. The grooved side is on the inside around the grooved pulleys, and the smooth side is on the inside around the smooth pulleys. Make sure the belt is correctly seated on the grooved pulleys. Save the tensioner pulley for last - use your tool to pull the tensioner in against the spring, and slip the belt on over the tensioner pulley. {CAUTION: do not let your fingers get between the belt and the tensioner pulley. If your tool slips at this point, you'd be in a world of hurt.} Take one more look to make sure the belt is centered on all of the pulleys, then slowly release the tool to apply tension to the belt.

Vehicles: Chevy (GM) Malibu 2001-2005 3.1L SFI OHV 6-cylinder

Your battery has died since the alternator is not charging it. Jumping the car works to start the engine since the Malibu is using the energy of the second car to start and turn the engine.
Its possible that your belt may not be correctly routed or tensioned.

Check your 3.1L engine accessory drive belt routing. The arrow points in the direction in which the drive belt moves.





Fig. 1
Serpentine drive belt routing-GM 3.1L engine L/N bodies

Accessory Drive Belt Installation/Removal
GM 3.1L Engine

NOTE
Routine inspection of the belt may reveal cracks in the belt ribs. These cracks will not impair the belt performance. The belt should be replaced if the belt slip occurs if a section of the belt ribs are missing. A single serpentine drive belt is used to drive all engine accessories. All belt driven accessories are rigidly mounted with the belt tension maintained by a spring loaded tensioner. The indicator on the movable portion of the tensioner must be within the limits of the marks of the stationary portion of the tensioner. Any reading outside of these limits indicates either a defective belt or tensioner.

(1) Remove engine mount.
(2) Rotate the drive belt tensioner in a clockwise motion using a breaker bar or serpentine belt tool.
(3) Remove the drive belt.




Fig. 2.
Removal and installation of the drive belt - tool is shown installed on the tensioner. Arrow points to the power steering pump pulley.

To install:

(1) Rotate the drive belt tensioner in a clockwise motion using a breaker bar or serpentine belt tool.
(2) Install the drive belt. Connect the serpentine drive belt last to the power steering pulley.
(3) Install engine mount.

1. • 1 Open the hood, and locate the auto-tensioning bolt in the center of the pulley system. This bolt will be in the center of a pulley that does not appear to be connected to any component.
     
   • 2 Turn the auto-tensioning bolt clockwise with a socket wrench to release tension on the belt.
     
   • 3 Slide the belt off the pulley system.
     
   • 4 Orient the new belt on the pulley system according to the belt path printed on the underside of the hood and next to the hood latch mechanism on your Cavalier. Leave slack in the belt around the tensioner pulley.
     
   • 5 Slide the belt over the tensioner pulley while you have the auto-tensioner pulley bolt turned clockwise as far as it will go. Make sure that the belt is sitting centered in all the various pulley grooves on the pulley system.
     
   • 6 Release the tension pulley bolt, and apply tension to the belt. The auto-tensioner will automatically apply the correct amount of tension on the belt.
     

the serpentine belt routing chart, adhered to the fan shroud. This chart will show you the location of the belt tensioner.

2 Pull the belt tensioner off the belt with the serpentine belt tool. Reach in with your free hand and slip the belt out of the tensioner's path and then slowly move the tensioner back into position.

3 Pull the belt off the remaining pulleys by hand

Read more: 2002 Ford Taurus Serpentine Belt Removal ' eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7233863_2002-taurus-serpentine-belt-removal.html#ixzz1XPRa20xf

Use a 3/8" breaker bar to move the belt tensioner. While holding pressure on the tensioner, remove the serpentine belt from any of the pulleys. Gently release pressure from the tensioner. Remove the old belt and replace with the new one. Reapply pressure to the tensioner and pop the belt over the last pulley.

While standing by the passenger side tire, look at the belt assembly. On the left side halfway down the motor is a tensioning pulley. It is below the power stearing pump. It is basically a pulley on a lever that is spring loaded. The lever part has a 3/8" square hole on it that accepts a 3/8" ratchet (or breaker bar). Push the square ratchet end into the square hole on the tensioning lever and pry like heck. I can't remember if it is clockwise or counter clockwise. It helps if someone else can slip the pulley off of the alternator. A long handled ratchet works better. My Cavalier just turned 260,000 miles. I've replaced the belt twice and tensioner pulley once (bearings went out on it).
Good luck!
Doug

Click on the following free direct Link. It has the Serpentine Belt Diagram and Tensioner location for your 2002 GMC Envoy. Plus Instructional and Directional Diagrams you will find very useful.

http://www.2carpros.com/car_repair_information/year/2002/make/gmc/model/envoy/2002_gmc_envoy_drive_belt_routing_diagram.htm

GENERAL/Standard Rules to Removal the Serpentine Belt with a Tensioner:
A. Find the Tensioner(s). (See Diagrams on Link)
B. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool, Or Wrench OR Ratchet, Rotate/Move the Tensioner USING THE AVAILABLE NUT (on the Pulley or Arm Base) OR the OPENING (3/8ths or 1/2 inch square opening) rotating the Tensioner Pulley/Arm - moving it away from contact with the belt and towards the area where the belt is not in contact with the Tensioner Pulley. The Tensioner is spring loaded, and is hard to rotate/move.
C. Remove the loosened belt off one of the other more easily accessed Pulleys.
D. DO NOT quickly release the Tensioner, but gently allow the Tensioner to rest in its closed position.

Standard Rules for Installing the Serpentine Belt with Tensioners:
a. Pick a Pulley that is most easily accessed. This will usually be on top. This will be the last Pulley that the belt will go on.
b. Using the Diagram: Install the new Serpentine Belt on the remainder of the Pulleys....over, under, left right.
c. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool or Wrench or Ratchet Tool: Rotate/Move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm "away" from Belt contact area on the Tensioner. This spring is pretty hard and with a new belt, it will be even harder to install. Rotate/Move this to as-close to the maximum allowed inorder to have enough slack in the belt to get it up and over the last pulley.
d. Using your other hand - Pull the Belt up and over the Last remaining Pulley.
e. Before releasing the pressure on the Tensioner, visually inspect the remainder Pulleys and the Belts' Positioning on them.

Let me know if this helped, or if you have additional information or questions. Feel Free to contact me at FixYa.Com!

My sincere apologies for the severly delayed response.
I am personally going back to answer your unanswered questions.

I do not know if you still need this information, however I am answering it in case you still do.

Click on the following direct Link. It has the Serpentine Belt Diagram for the 2002 Chevy Tahoe for your specific engine and options (AC/No AC etc.). It has other additonal diagrams for your future use. It also has some diagrams on how to rotate/move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm to loosen and remove the Belt.

Standard Rules to Removal the Serpentine Belt:
1. Find the Tensioner(s). (See Diagrams on Link)
2. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool, Or Wrench OR Ratchet, Rotate/Move the Tensioner USING THE AVAILABLE NUT OR OPENING (3/8ths or 1/2 inch square opening) rotating it\moving it away from contact with the belt and towards the area where the belt is not in contact with the Tensioner Pulley. The Tensioner is spring loaded, and is hard to rotate/move.
3. Remove the loosened belt off one of the other more easily accessed Pulleys.

Standard Rules for Installing the Serpentine Belt:
a. Pick a Pulley that is most easily accessed. This will usually be on top. This will be the last Pulley that the belt will go on.
b. Using the Diagram: Install the new Serpentine Belt on the remainder of the Pulleys....over, under, left right.
c. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool or Wrench or Ratchet Tool: Rotate/Move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm "away" from Belt contact area on the Tensioner. This spring is pretty hard and with a new belt, it will be even harder to install. Rotate/Move this to as-close to the maximum allowed inorder to have enough slack in the belt to get it up and over the last pulley.
d. Using your other hand - Pull the Belt up and over the Last remaining Pulley.
e. Before releasing the pressure on the Tensioner, visually inspect the remainder Pulleys and the Belts' Positioning on them.

Let me know if this helped, or if you have additional information or questions. Feel Free to contact me at FixYa.com!

http://www.2carpros.com/car_repair_information/year/2002/make/chevrolet/model/tahoe/2002_chevrolet_tahoe_drive_belt_routing_diagram.htm

joecoolvette must not ever been near an A4 Audi. Although his outline of the serpentine belt change is correct, you can't get to on an A4. Check out AudiWorld Tech Articles, Chris Hansen has a nice post there on Serpentine Belt Tensioner Replacement that would address most of this question.

Hi alin,

No prybar necessary.

• Get a 14mm or 9/16" socket and a long handled ratchet or breaker bar.
• Get the belt around all the pulleys except the A/C compressor or Alternator.
• The tensioner pulley is on a spring loaded arm. Get your socket on the center nut of this pulley.
• Slowly pull the ratchet toward the center of the engine. The pulley will pivot on the arm allowing you to get the belt on the final pulley.
  
• Slowly release the tension.
  
• You're done

Mike