🔧 Forte - Serpentine Belt Replacement

The serpentine belt drives accessories like the alternator and A/C. On your Forte, the belt is held tight by an automatic spring-loaded tensioner, so the job is mainly about safely accessing the belt and rotating the tensioner to slip the belt on/off.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a cold engine—hot pulleys and coolant hoses can burn you.
• ⚠️ Keep fingers/tools clear of pulleys while rotating the tensioner (it’s spring-loaded and can snap back).
• ⚠️ Support the car with jack stands—never rely on a floor jack alone.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnect is not required, but keep the key away and don’t crank the engine during the job.

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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
• 21mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 14mm socket
• 3/8" breaker bar
• Torque wrench (10-150 ft-lbs range)
• Phillips screwdriver
• Trim clip removal tool
• Flashlight
• Mechanic gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Serpentine belt - Qty: 1
• Engine splash shield / fender liner clips - Qty: 1 set

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, shift to Park, and set the parking brake.
• Chock the rear wheels using wheel chocks.
• Have a belt routing reference ready (usually a sticker under the hood). If there’s no sticker, take a clear photo of the belt routing before removal.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Open access to the belt

• Open the hood and use a flashlight to locate the belt and the tensioner pulley (the tensioner is a spring-loaded arm with a pulley).
• Loosen the right-front wheel lug nuts slightly using a 21mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet. Loosen on the ground first.
• Lift the right-front corner with a floor jack (rated 2-ton minimum) and support it with jack stands (rated 2-ton minimum).
• Remove the wheel with a 21mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet.

Step 2: Remove the inner splash shield (wheel well liner) section

• Remove the plastic clips/screws holding the front/side of the liner using a trim clip removal tool and Phillips screwdriver.
• Pull the liner back enough to see the crank pulley and belt path. Don’t crease the liner.

Step 3: Note the belt routing

• Use your phone to take a picture of the belt routing from the best angle you can.
• If there’s a routing diagram sticker, compare it to what you see to make sure you’ll reinstall it correctly.

Step 4: Release belt tension

• Fit a 14mm socket onto the tensioner’s hex (or tensioner bolt head) and attach a 3/8" breaker bar (a breaker bar is a long-handled ratchet handle for extra leverage).
• Rotate the tensioner to relieve tension (it will feel springy). Hold it steady—don’t let it snap back.
• While holding the tensioner rotated, slide the belt off the easiest-to-reach smooth pulley (often the tensioner or an idler) using your free hand.

Step 5: Remove the old belt

• Slowly release the tensioner back to its resting position using the 3/8" breaker bar.
• Snake the belt out of the pulley system and out through the wheel well opening.
• Compare old vs new belt length and rib count before installing.

Step 6: Install the new belt (route first, tension last)

• Route the new belt around the pulleys following your photo/diagram. Make sure the ribbed side sits in the grooved pulleys and the smooth side sits on smooth pulleys.
• Leave one easy pulley for last (commonly the tensioner pulley).
• Rotate the tensioner again using the 14mm socket and 3/8" breaker bar, then slip the belt onto the final pulley.
• Release the tensioner slowly, then visually confirm the belt ribs are fully seated in every grooved pulley. Misalignment shreds belts fast.

Step 7: Reassemble the wheel well and wheel

• Reposition the liner and reinstall clips/screws using the trim clip removal tool and Phillips screwdriver.
• Reinstall the wheel and snug the lug nuts with a 21mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet.
• Lower the car from the jack stands (rated 2-ton minimum) using the floor jack (rated 2-ton minimum).
• Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern with a torque wrench (10-150 ft-lbs range): Torque to 88-108 Nm (65-80 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• Start the engine and watch the belt for 30-60 seconds—it should run centered with no wobble.
• Listen for chirping/squealing. If you hear it, shut off and re-check belt seating on every pulley.
• Take a short drive, then recheck visually for proper tracking.

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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 0.7-1.2 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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