Serpentine belt tension

[Blkblurr]

I'm new at working on Caravans and want to know how to loosen the tension on the serpentine belt so I can replace the a/c clutch? It's a 2000 3.3L

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[Ted928]

On my 2002 3.8l I simply removed the plastic cover under the engine belt area and put a 19mm wrench on the tensioner and countered the torsion while slipping the belt off. Very simple.

[Blkblurr]

So what your saying is the tensioner is near the bottom of the engine. This thing is so covered with oil, it's hard to see the bolts on the engine. By far it's the messiest engine I have ever worked on. The alt is completely clogged with oil and dirt, forming a tar like paste.

[floorslayer1]

On my 97 GC with 3.3 I believe it is a 16mm. The tensioner is an idler/tensioner pulley that when pressure is applied, the pulley swings down enough to slip on or off the belt. You need a long handled attachment to effectively do this. Sears sells a serpentine belt tool that comes with an assortment of sockets and crows feet to fit most belt tensioner setups for a very reasonable price. It is the pulley that is more or less in the middle of engine.

[Blkblurr]

Thanks, I'll look at it again tonite

[greaseangel]

You shoudl have a diagram under the hood somewhere that shows belt position, it also had the tensioner identified.