well i didnt have a 3/8" drive breaker bar i used a rather small and cheap ratchet, just so happens the head on it was narrow enough to fit between the belt tensioner and fan. i damn near sprained my shoulder holding the thing up till i could put the allen wrench in.

 

this tool i got was about 3 feet long once you got it in the hole it was so easy

 

just got my parts and finished this job if you take the pulley off the water pump the belt goes on very easy and you do not have to get under the car

 

I used this tool (Lisle Serpentine belt tool | Product Details | Pep Boys) and was able to remove the belt without taking any parts (radiator reservoir, fan, pulley) off the car. I went from below and only removed the plastic guard.

I am not a mechanic and this job took me no more then 1 hour.

 

Got 87k on my 09-belt still looks pristine,no cracks,nuthin.spare is hangin in the garage.will be replacing soon just to be safe!

 

Just did this today and used a Craftsman serpentine belt tool which worked well. Also jacked up the car for access and didn't have to remove any bolts to remove/replace the belt. Overall this worked well....thanks for the sticky!

 

i changed my belt but when i drive and hit about 4-6k rpms i can feel the belt slipping but it was never slipping before hand. what could be the issue?

 

could be the tensioner not tight enough

 

Thank you for this guide, just finished changing my belt. Wasnt as bad as I thought.

 

Since a breaker bar is used, is there a tightening torque spec at all for this job?

 

NO worry about torque spec, the tensioner applies constant pressure against the belt, keeping it taut. Also FYI, for anyone who doesn't already know, you can rent the belt tensioner tool at autozone for about $30. This is the full up pro version, with every conceivable attachment. You take it back, you get your $30. FREE, which is hard to beat. Why buy a tool you will use once every 5 yrs, if that. This is a very simple job with the belt tool.

 

Sweet write up! Last time I went to autozone they gave me the wrong belt and was left stranded at hope! How much did this belt cost you?

 

Ordered Gatorback belt from Rock Auto:

GOODYEAR 4070795 Belt $ 20.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 20.79

 

Thank you for the guide. I just replaced the belt with the help from my friend. It was truly PITA to remove the old belt since it was stuck behind the tensioner.
For those who will do this in the future, it would be much easier if you jack the car up and remove the cover under the car. Being able to see the pulleys from the bottom of your car would help you easily remove the old belt and route the new one.
Also, for some reason my 3/8'' breaker bar wouldn't fit the hole to loose the tensioner, so I went to advanceautoparts and rented the serpentine tool kit. It was basically free because they fully refunded me when I returned the kit.

 

I've rented some $90 tools from Advance Auto before. This is good advice...you get your money back when you return the tool.