ok, so a couple of times this month i started my car with the a/c on and it made a horrible squealing noise. when you shut the a/c off it's fine. i am quite sure it's the belt because i know a compressor doesn't make that kind of noise when it's detonating inside and it works fine otherwise.

so i get my new belt and i go to change it out but the serpentine belt tool i have will not fit in the narrow space between the engine bay wall and the engine. essentially, for those who don't know, it's a thin, long metal bar with a 3/8" hub on the end for the desired size of socket that will fit over the tensioner bolt.

i was going to just use a 14mm wrench, but getting it in there and getting leverage is going to be a bitch since it's a small wrench. any recommendations of what i can use? should i just slip a pipe over the wrench or is there a specialty tool for honda belts? thanks!

SSTS

p.s. - for the power steering belt, i take it i have to remove the side engine mount to get to it?

 

does your serpentine belt tool only have the socket adapters or does it have the box end wrench adapters? they make theem for it which you can find at places like sears
they look like this




if you dont want to buy these a pipe on a box wrench will work just fine too.

im surprised yours didnt come with them

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/searc...&gobutton=find

 

crap why didn't i think of that. i bought mine at autozone to save a few bucks and it only had the 4 sockets (12, 13 ,14 & 15mm IIRC). i'll go buy a box-end attachment for it tonight when i'm by the mall. great suggestion. thanks man!!

SSTS

 

No Problem!

 

find a bigger wrench and fit the closed end over the open end of the first wrench. wolla...you now have an extension

 

yep that works too.

 

I used a crescent wrench (forgot the size) then locked another crescent wrench end-to-end at about a 75-degree angle, then pushed on it. The tensioner came up easily, slipped on the belt and voila.

 

thats the easy way! next time drive your butt to the store and get teh actual tool! its nice to have

 

I'm too lazy...

 

ok ill let it slide this time!

 

Woohoo!!

 

this is the one i have. ive used it for abunch of things other than the belt to this date

 

You are gonna laugh at me, but at first, I thought the tensioner pulley had to be unscrewed and taken off.

So imagine my dumbass sitting there trying to unscrew the bolt on the tensioner, only to realize that it's spring-loaded and I could simply push it up... I felt like an idiot for the following 5 minutes.

 

dont feel bad. the first time i ever came across one of thle i did the same. no matter hwo hard i tried i couldnt get teh stupid thing to turn found out a few min later that it lifted, not turned

 

Haha, exactly. I felt it move up, and I was like "wait a tick... ahhhhhh, I see."

 

yea i was on teh bottom side of the car trying to get leverage to turn a bolt, and couldnt figure out why i couldnt

 

They are called crowsfeet... or a crowsfoot open end socket.

 

So, how hard was this to do after you found it the tensionor was spring loaded? I hear the same noise when starting my car with AC on. Its still under warranty, but if I can replace myself under an hour then that beats waiting at dealer for 3 hours.