🔧 Town & Country - Serpentine Belt Replacement

The serpentine belt drives your A/C compressor, alternator, power steering pump, and water pump. Replacing it is mostly about safely relieving belt tension and routing the new belt exactly like the factory diagram.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 0.8-1.5 hours

Assumption: You’ll follow the factory belt-routing sticker under the hood.

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• 🛑 Work on a cool engine; hot pulleys can burn you.
• 🛑 Use jack stands; never rely on a floor jack alone.
• 🛑 Keep fingers clear when releasing the belt tensioner (a spring-loaded arm that keeps the belt tight).
• 🛑 Wear safety glasses; debris can fall from the wheel well.
• 🛑 Battery disconnect is not required, but keep tools away from the alternator electrical connections.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Safety glasses
• Mechanic gloves
• Wheel chocks
• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• 21mm socket
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 3/8" drive torque wrench
• 15mm socket
• 16mm socket
• Trim clip removal tool
• Flat-blade screwdriver
• Flashlight

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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, shift to Park, and set the parking brake.
• 🧰 Open the hood and locate the belt routing diagram sticker (usually on the upper radiator support area). Take a clear photo with your phone.
• 🧰 Place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels.
• 🧰 Plan to access the belt from the passenger-side front wheel well for easiest reach.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Raise the front passenger side safely

• Use a 1/2" drive breaker bar with a 21mm socket to loosen (do not remove) the passenger-front wheel lug nuts.
• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift at the proper front jacking point.
• Set the vehicle onto jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Remove the lug nuts with a 21mm socket and take off the wheel.

Step 2: Remove the passenger-side splash shield (inner fender liner)

• Use a trim clip removal tool to pop out the plastic push clips.
• Use a flat-blade screwdriver as needed to gently pry stubborn clips.
• Use a flashlight to confirm you can see the belt, pulleys, and tensioner.
• Tip: Keep clips in a small cup.

Step 3: Double-check belt routing before removal

• Use a flashlight and compare what you see to the under-hood routing sticker photo.
• Note: The belt must sit in the grooves of grooved pulleys; it will ride smooth on smooth pulleys.

Step 4: Relieve tension from the belt tensioner

• Place a 15mm socket on the belt tensioner pulley bolt head and attach a 3/8" drive ratchet.
• If the 15mm socket does not fit your tensioner, switch to a 16mm socket.
• Rotate the tensioner smoothly to relieve belt tension (it will feel strong because it’s spring-loaded).
• While holding the tensioner rotated, slide the belt off the easiest-to-reach top pulley using your free hand.
• Slowly return the tensioner back to its resting position. Do not let it snap back.

Step 5: Remove the old belt and inspect pulleys

• Pull the belt out through the wheel well opening by hand.
• Spin the visible pulleys by hand and listen/feel for roughness or wobble.
• If any pulley is noisy/rough, don’t install the new belt until the bad pulley/tensioner is addressed.

Step 6: Route the new belt (follow the factory diagram)

• Route the new belt around the pulleys following the under-hood routing sticker.
• Make sure the belt is fully seated in every grooved pulley (no ribs hanging off the edge).
• Leave the easiest-to-reach pulley for last so you can slip it on after releasing the tensioner.
• Tip: Start at the crank pulley for control.

Step 7: Re-apply tension and verify alignment

• Use a 3/8" drive ratchet with a 15mm socket (or 16mm socket, as fits) to rotate the tensioner again.
• Slip the belt onto the last pulley, then slowly release the tensioner.
• Use a flashlight to check every pulley: the belt must be centered and fully in the grooves.

Step 8: Reinstall splash shield and wheel

• Reinstall the inner fender liner and push clips using the trim clip removal tool and flat-blade screwdriver as needed.
• Install the wheel and hand-thread lug nuts.
• Lower the vehicle using the floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum), then remove jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Use a 3/8" drive torque wrench with a 21mm socket to tighten lug nuts in a star pattern: Torque to 135 Nm (100 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• 🔍 Before starting, do one final visual check that the belt is seated on every pulley.
• 🔍 Start the engine and let it idle for 30–60 seconds while watching the belt track (keep hands/tools away).
• 🔍 Turn A/C on and rotate steering wheel slightly; listen for squeal or chirping.
• 🔍 Shut off engine and re-check belt alignment with a flashlight.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $180-$320 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $25-$70 (parts only)

You Save: $110-$295 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 0.8-1.2 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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