🔧 Tucson - Serpentine Belt Replacement

The serpentine belt (drive belt) spins key accessories like the alternator and A/C compressor. If it’s cracked, noisy, or glazed, replacing it prevents sudden loss of charging or overheating.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a cool engine; keep hands clear of pulleys and the radiator fan.
• ⚠️ Remove the key/fob from the vehicle so the engine can’t be started accidentally.
• ⚠️ If you lift your Tucson, support it with jack stands—never rely on a floor jack.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnect is not required, but keep tools away from the positive terminal.

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🔧 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
• 21mm socket
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• 10mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 17mm socket
• 3/8" drive long handle ratchet
• Trim clip removal tool
• Torque wrench (10-150 ft-lbs range)
• Work light
• Mechanic gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Serpentine belt (accessory drive belt) - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, shift to Park, and set the parking brake.
• Chock the rear wheels with wheel chocks.
• Open the hood and locate the belt routing diagram (often on the radiator support/under-hood label). If you don’t see one, take a clear photo of the belt routing before removal.
• Plan on accessing the belt from the passenger-side front wheel well (this is the easiest on your Tucson).

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and secure the front passenger side

• Use wheel chocks at the rear wheels.
• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift the front passenger-side jacking point.
• Place jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum) under the proper support point and lower onto the stand.
• Shake the vehicle lightly to confirm stability.

Step 2: Remove the front passenger wheel

• Use a 21mm socket with a 1/2" drive breaker bar to loosen the lug nuts, then remove them.
• Remove the wheel and set it aside.
• Reinstall later and tighten lug nuts: Torque to 90-110 Nm (66-81 ft-lbs).

Step 3: Remove the right-side lower splash shield (access cover)

• Use a 10mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet to remove the small bolts/screws holding the lower side cover in the wheel well area.
• Use a trim clip removal tool to pop out any plastic clips (pry at the clip head, not the panel).
• Move the cover aside to expose the belt and tensioner area.

Step 4: Relieve belt tension (automatic tensioner)

• Locate the belt tensioner (spring-loaded arm with a pulley).
• Install a 17mm socket on the tensioner’s hex boss/bolt head, then use a 3/8" drive long handle ratchet to rotate the tensioner and relieve belt tension.
• A breaker bar is a long handle for extra leverage.
• While holding the tensioner rotated, slide the belt off the easiest-to-reach pulley (typically an upper smooth pulley).
• Slowly release 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.
• Spin each accessible pulley by hand and feel/listen for roughness or wobble.
• Check the tensioner pulley surface for grooves, cracks, or looseness.

Step 6: Route the new belt correctly

• Route the new belt exactly like the routing diagram/photo (ribbed side runs on ribbed pulleys; smooth side runs on smooth pulleys).
• Make sure the belt ribs are seated fully in the grooves on every ribbed pulley (no “one-rib off” misalignment).
• Leave one easy pulley for last so you can slip it on after releasing tension (often a smooth idler/tensioner pulley).

Step 7: Apply tension and seat the belt

• Use the 17mm socket and 3/8" drive long handle ratchet to rotate the tensioner again.
• Slip the belt fully onto the last pulley, then slowly release the tensioner.
• Re-check belt alignment on every pulley by sight and by feel.

Step 8: Reinstall the splash shield and wheel

• Reinstall the splash shield using the trim clip removal tool (to align clips) and tighten bolts with the 10mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet.
• Reinstall the wheel and hand-start all lug nuts.
• Lower the vehicle off the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern using a torque wrench: Torque to 90-110 Nm (66-81 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• Start the engine and let it idle while you watch the belt track on the pulleys (from a safe distance).
• Listen for chirping/squealing; if you hear it, shut off the engine and re-check belt routing and seating.
• Take a short test drive, then do a final quick visual check for alignment.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

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

DIY Cost: $35-$80 (parts only)

You Save: $100-$270 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 0.8-1.5 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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