🔧 Accord - Serpentine Belt Replacement

The serpentine belt is the single long belt that drives accessories like the alternator and A/C. On your Accord, you relieve spring tension with the automatic tensioner, slip the old belt off, then route and install the new belt correctly.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 0.5-1.5 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a cool engine; keep hands clear of pulleys.
• ⚠️ Key out of ignition; never work near a running engine.
• ⚠️ Support the car with jack stands; never rely on a floor jack.
• ⚠️ Keep fingers out of the belt path when releasing the tensioner.
• ⚠️ If you remove the wheel, re-torque lug nuts after reinstall.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 2-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 2-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• 19mm socket
• 1/2" breaker bar
• 14mm socket
• 3/8" ratchet
• 10mm socket
• Trim clip remover (specialty)
• Flashlight
• Torque wrench (10-150 ft-lb range)
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Serpentine belt - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, set the parking brake, and place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels.
• Open the hood and find the belt routing diagram (often on the underside of the hood or near the radiator support). If it’s missing, take a clear photo of the current routing before removing the belt.
• If access is tight from above, plan to remove the passenger-front wheel and the small splash shield inside the wheel well.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Create safe access

• Use the 19mm socket and 1/2" breaker bar to loosen the passenger-front lug nuts about 1 turn (do not remove yet).
• Lift the front passenger side with the floor jack and support the car with jack stands.
• Remove the wheel using the 19mm socket.

Step 2: Remove the splash shield (wheel well access)

• Use the trim clip remover (specialty) to pop out the plastic clips (a trim clip remover is a small forked tool that lifts push-clips without breaking them).
• Use the 10mm socket and 3/8" ratchet to remove any 10mm bolts holding the shield.
• Move the shield aside so you can see the belt and pulleys; use a flashlight as needed.

Step 3: Relieve belt tension

• Locate the automatic belt tensioner (it’s a spring-loaded pulley assembly). The tensioner is the part that keeps the belt tight automatically.
• Put a 14mm socket on the tensioner’s hex and attach your 1/2" breaker bar.
• Rotate the tensioner to relieve tension (it will feel strong). Move slowly; keep fingers clear.

Step 4: Remove the old belt

• While holding the tensioner rotated with the 1/2" breaker bar and 14mm socket, slip the belt off the easiest-to-reach smooth pulley.
• Slowly let the tensioner return to its resting position.
• Pull the belt out of the engine bay/wheel well opening.

Step 5: Inspect pulleys and routing

• Use the flashlight to inspect each pulley for wobble, heavy rust, or roughness.
• Spin pulleys by hand (engine off). They should feel smooth and quiet.
• Compare your belt routing to the under-hood diagram or your photo.

Step 6: Install the new belt

• Route the new belt around the pulleys following the routing diagram (ribbed side goes on ribbed pulleys; smooth side goes on smooth pulleys).
• Leave one easy pulley for last so you can slip it on after tension is released.
• Use the 14mm socket and 1/2" breaker bar to rotate the tensioner again, slip the belt onto the last pulley, then slowly release the tensioner.
• Double-check the belt is fully seated in every pulley groove using the flashlight.

Step 7: Reassemble and torque the wheel

• Reinstall the splash shield using the 10mm socket, 3/8" ratchet, and push-clips with the trim clip remover (specialty).
• Reinstall the wheel and snug the lug nuts with the 19mm socket.
• Lower the car off the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Use the torque wrench with 19mm socket to tighten lug nuts in a star pattern: Torque to 108 Nm (80 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• Start the engine and watch the belt for 30-60 seconds; it should run straight with no wobble or chirping.
• Turn A/C on and off and listen for squeal (often means the belt isn’t seated in a groove).
• After a short drive, recheck belt alignment with a flashlight.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $150-$280 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $25-$60 (parts only)

You Save: $90-$220 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 0.5-1.0 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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