Ok my serpintine belt is about broken on my 01 Ram 1500 4x4 Quad Cab with the 360 and it also has AC. I am afraid to even drive it like it is and it is parked at a friends house. It has the wiring diagram under the hood so I should be ok there. My question is how do I get it to loosen the tension on it? My friend was saying on his S-10 ZR2 it was a tensioner you put your rachet in to loosen it. I have never tried changing it before but everyone makes it sound like it is no problem. Anyone have any tips or instructions on how to install it. I was just going to buy one from Advance Auto Parts is this good or is the one from Dodge a lot better?

 

Generally speaking, serpentine belts REALLY AREN'T difficult at all. Several things to be careful about though. 1) Make sure you use a long enough tool to move the tensioner in the correct direction. Longer is better, to a certain extent. Tools for serpentine belt removal are available, but a simple socket and breaker bar is sufficient. A bar length of about 18" to 24" should be adequate. 2) The other problem area is the new belt. Make sure you have the correct length on your replacement belt. If the length can be read on your old one, great. Use that to get a new one. If it isn't, not a problem. Any decent auto parts store can find the right one. Again related to the new belt is installing it. New belts are a bit of a problem since they are new, and don't like to bend around as needed. The way I have done it is to install the belt per the diagram located under the hood. Double check direction of the belt, and start at the crankshaft pulley (the bottom most and probably the largest pulley under the hood), and work your way around in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, taking each pulley one at a time. Your goal is to have it correctly routed around each accessory, and end up at the tensioner. Then all you have to do is open the tensioner, install the belt on it, and slowly release it. MAKE SURE TO CHECK AND VERIFY THE CORRECT ROUTING OF THE BELT before starting the vehicle and that the belt is correctly lined up in the groves of each pulley. And above all, relax and take your time. If you find yourself having a problem doing it, stop and come back to it later. I also recommend that you obtain an aftermarket service manual for the vehicle. My personal favorite is Chiltons. There are others though. The manuals have more detailed instructions as well as pictures to give you an idea of what things look like.

 

JUST DID MY FIRST S BELT LAST WEEKEND.

CHECK WITH AUTO Z. 24 BUCKS FOR THEIR BETTER BRAND.
BY THE WAY, SAME BELT FOR THE 5.2 AS 5.9, BOX WILL SAY 5.2 W AC. OR WITHOUT.

AND THEY CAN RENT YOU THE TOOL FOR THE JOB. I USED A 12 INCH RATCHET, AND ELBOW GREASE.

DIAGRAM UNDER HOOD SHOULD INDICATE WHICH WAY TO TURN THE TENTIONER.

TOOK ME AND MY BROTHER 5 MINS TO REMOVE AND INSTALL.

GOOD LUCK

 

Ok I went to my friends house where it was sitting with a belt today and we changed it in about 2 minutes. We just used a rachet to loosen the tensioner he did that part and thats what he said he had used on his truck also I didn't see any need for a tool as it seemed to loosen easily with the rachet. I got the belt for $30 some it was there premium one the regular was $19. I just hooked the belt on on the bottom and on one side and he routed it on the other side and tightened the tensioner back up and it looked like it was on well and we cranked the truck up and it spun fine. Wasn't any problem was nice having two ppl when routing the belt as you kind of needed 3 hands but I think I probably could have done it myself if I had had to. I'm thankful for having help though.