firebird V-6 drivebelt changeout

[Pastor Larry Roques]

Just got through with a '94 villager alternator changeout [img]graemlins/omg.gif[/img] ....We're putting away tools and my friend says...hey let me see that famous 3800 under the bird's hood....I say...sure...He says, hey!...whats that on your drive belt....cracking?
I say [img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img] NOOOOOOO! Is this a real big deal. I mean, it look like a moveable pulley and route the belt correctly and...voila!!! Then again, I could be seriously diluted. What should I expect?
Blessings and have a great day!

[JohnD.]

Put a ratchet and socket on the tensioner and push down to release pressure on the belt, remove. Replace the belt in the same order. It's a piece of cake.

[saved1]

Hey Pastor Larry,check the bearing in the tensioner. Mine blew out last month, taking the belt with it. It's cheap, replace it when you change the belt.

[L32Projekt]

Cracks in the belt isn't a huge deal, it's when chunks of the ribbed side of the belt start going. Replacing the belt is not a biggie and could be considered "Peace of Mind" insurance. I changed mine on my 3.4L, easy to do and pretty cheap. Socket and wrench on the nut, push in the direction opposite that it is applying tension and remove. Replace belt using the belt routing diagram under your hood and you're finished.

Edit: For redundancy

[MustangEater8251]

Its a cinch... takes less then 5 seconds for me to take it off and less thena minute to put it back on..

If its cracking I woudl pull it, keep it in your tool kit in the car and have a new one just for piece of mind and the safety of having a spare in your car.

[speedy-v6-camaro]

Do it yourself....the dealership wanted to charge me $75 for it...it took me less than 2 minutes and I had no idea what I was doing at first.

[F1GT]

Turn the rachet clockwise, it's the pulley you see on the middle top area.