🔧 Grand Cherokee - Serpentine Belt Replacement

On your Grand Cherokee, the serpentine belt drives accessories like the alternator and power steering pump. Replacing it is mainly about safely relieving the belt tensioner, routing the new belt correctly, and confirming it’s fully seated on every pulley.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Keep fingers/clothing away from pulleys; pinch hazard.
• ⚠️ Work on a cold engine; hot components can burn you.
• ⚠️ Do not crank the engine with hands near the belt.
• ⚠️ If you lift the vehicle, support it with jack stands before going underneath.
• 🧯 Battery disconnect is not required for belt-only replacement, but remove the key/fob from the vehicle so it cannot auto-start.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Safety glasses
• Mechanic gloves
• Flashlight
• 15mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 3/8" drive breaker bar
• 3/8" drive extension set
• Trim clip removal tool
• Flat-blade screwdriver
• Serpentine belt tool (specialty)
• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Serpentine belt - Qty: 1
• Belt tensioner - Qty: 1 (optional if weak/noisy)
• Idler pulley - Qty: 1 (optional if noisy/rough)

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📋 Before You Begin

• 🅿️ Park on level ground, shift to Park, and set the parking brake.
• 🧱 Place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels.
• 🔦 Locate the belt routing diagram (usually on a radiator support sticker). If it’s missing, take a clear photo of the current routing before removal.
• 🧼 If the belt has shredded, remove any belt strands from pulleys before installing the new belt.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Get access and document belt routing

• Use a flashlight to find the belt routing label and compare it to what you see.
• If the label is missing, use your phone to take 2-3 photos from different angles.
• If any plastic covers or intake snorkel pieces block your view, remove clips with a trim clip removal tool and loosen clamps with a flat-blade screwdriver.

Step 2: Relieve tension from the belt tensioner

• Fit a 15mm socket on the belt tensioner arm bolt head, then attach a 3/8" drive breaker bar (an extension may help).
• Rotate the tensioner slowly to release belt tension. Move it smoothly; don’t let it snap.
• While holding the tensioner rotated, slip the belt off one easy-to-reach smooth pulley (often an idler).

Step 3: Remove the old belt

• Release the tensioner back to its rest position slowly using the 3/8" drive breaker bar.
• Remove the belt the rest of the way by hand. Use a flashlight to verify you’re not leaving any belt material behind.

Step 4: Inspect pulleys and the tensioner

• Spin each pulley by hand and listen/feel for grinding or wobble.
• Check the tensioner pulley for roughness and the tensioner arm for weak spring action.
• If you hear squeaks or feel rough bearings, plan to replace the noisy pulley/tensioner before installing the new belt.

Step 5: Route the new belt

• Route the new belt following the under-hood routing diagram (or your photos).
• Make sure the ribbed side of the belt sits in the grooves of ribbed pulleys, and the smooth side rides on smooth pulleys.
• Leave the belt off one easy pulley last (this makes final installation easier).

Step 6: Apply tension and seat the belt

• Rotate the tensioner again using the 15mm socket and 3/8" drive breaker bar.
• Slip the belt over the last pulley, then slowly release the tensioner.
• Use a flashlight to check that the belt is centered on every pulley and fully seated in every groove.
• No fasteners require torquing for belt-only replacement.

Step 7: Reinstall any covers or ducts you removed

• Reinstall clips using the trim clip removal tool.
• Tighten any hose clamps using a flat-blade screwdriver.

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✅ After Repair

• 🔍 Before starting, do one last visual check that the belt is on every pulley correctly.
• 🚗 Start the engine and watch the belt for 20-30 seconds. It should run straight with no wandering.
• 👂 Listen for chirping/squealing. If you hear noise, shut off and re-check belt seating and pulley condition.
• 🧪 Take a short test drive, then re-check belt alignment.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $180-$350 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $45-$120 (parts only)

You Save: $135-$230 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?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.