🔧 Forte - Serpentine Belt Replacement

The serpentine belt drives accessories like the alternator and A/C compressor. Replacing it restores proper drive to those components and helps prevent a sudden breakdown if the belt is cracked or glazed.

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

---

⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a cool engine; keep hands away from pulleys.
• ⚠️ Never run the engine with fingers/tools near the belt path.
• ⚠️ Support your Forte with jack stands before going underneath.
• ⚠️ Keep the belt routing correct; wrong routing can damage accessories.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnect is not required, but keep keys away from the car so it can’t be started accidentally.

---

🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• Lug wrench
• Ratchet (3/8")
• Socket set (metric)
• 14mm combination wrench
• 17mm combination wrench
• Trim clip removal tool
• Flashlight
• Mechanic gloves
• Safety glasses

---

🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Serpentine belt - Qty: 1
• Front right splash shield clips (assortment) - Qty: 1
• Serpentine belt tensioner (optional, if noisy/weak) - Qty: 1
• Idler pulley (optional, if noisy/rough) - Qty: 1

---

📋 Before You Begin

• 🅿️ Park on level ground, shift to Park, and set the parking brake.
• 🧱 Chock the rear wheels with wheel chocks.
• 🔎 Find the belt routing diagram (usually on a sticker under the hood). If it’s missing, take a clear photo of your current belt routing before removal.
• 🧰 “Trim clip” = a plastic push-fastener that holds the splash shield; a trim clip tool helps pop it out without breaking it.

---

🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and support the front right corner

• Place wheel chocks behind the rear tires.
• Use a floor jack to lift at the front-right jacking point.
• Set the vehicle onto jack stands and gently shake the car to confirm it’s stable.
• Remove the front right wheel using a lug wrench.

Step 2: Remove the front right splash shield access

• Use a trim clip removal tool to remove the plastic clips/small fasteners from the splash shield section by the belt area.
• If your shield uses bolts, remove them using a ratchet (3/8") and metric sockets.
• Pull the shield back enough to clearly see the belt, tensioner, and pulleys. Use a flashlight for visibility.

Step 3: Double-check belt routing

• Look at the routing sticker under the hood and compare it to what you see.
• If there’s no sticker, take a photo now (use your phone) so you can match it during installation.
• Photo now saves lots of frustration later.

Step 4: Relieve tension from the automatic tensioner

• Locate the belt tensioner (spring-loaded arm with a pulley).
• On your Forte, you’ll rotate the tensioner using a wrench on the tensioner’s hex/bolt head.
• Try a 14mm combination wrench on the tensioner hex. If it doesn’t fit, use a 17mm combination wrench.
• Pull the wrench smoothly to rotate the tensioner and loosen the belt.
• Keep fingers clear of pinch points while the tensioner is rotated.

Step 5: Remove the old belt

• While holding the tensioner rotated with the 14mm combination wrench or 17mm combination wrench, slip the belt off the easiest-to-reach pulley (often the alternator pulley).
• Slowly release the tensioner back to its resting position (do not let it snap back).
• Remove the belt from the rest of the pulleys and pull it out through the wheel well opening.

Step 6: Inspect pulleys and tensioner before installing the new belt

• Spin each pulley by hand and listen/feel for grinding or roughness.
• Check the tensioner arm for smooth movement (it should move and spring back firmly).
• If a pulley is noisy/rough, plan to replace that component before installing the new belt.

Step 7: Route and install the new belt

• Route the new belt around all pulleys following the under-hood diagram (or your photo), leaving one easy pulley for last.
• Make sure the belt ribs sit fully in the ribbed pulleys’ grooves and the flat side rides on smooth pulleys.
• Rotate the tensioner again using the 14mm combination wrench or 17mm combination wrench.
• Slip the belt over the last pulley, then slowly release the tensioner to apply tension.
• Ribs must be centered in every groove.

Step 8: Reassemble the splash shield and wheel

• Reposition the splash shield and reinstall clips using the trim clip removal tool (and bolts using a ratchet (3/8") and metric sockets if equipped).
• Reinstall the wheel using a lug wrench.
• Lower the vehicle using the floor jack, remove the jack stands, then fully lower.

---

✅ After Repair

• 🔍 Before starting, do a final visual check: belt is seated on every pulley and not hanging off an edge.
• 🚗 Start the engine and watch the belt for 15–30 seconds (from a safe distance). It should track smoothly with no wobble.
• 👂 Listen for chirping/squealing. If present, shut off and re-check routing and seating.
• 🧪 Turn A/C on and headlights on; confirm no squeal and charging is normal.

---

💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

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

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

You Save: $80-$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.

---

🎯 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.