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2002 3.3 belt is a snap to change!

52K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  angry_hippo 
#1 ·
In case someone wants to change the serpentine belt on these vans, it is very easy to do. It took me about a hour to do but I can probably do it in about 30 minutes now. This is without jacking up the van at all.

Here are the steps...

Turn your wheels to the farthest right.
Crawl under the van (if you're thin like me, you do not need to raise it).

Remove the plastic splash shield underneath the belt. (1 screw, 3 plastic clippings)

Locate the tensioner pulley and you will notice a "slot" to the end of it.
Apply a 19mm wrench into that "slot" and turn counterclockwise. (that's pushing the wrench up if you're underneath)

This loosen up the slack and you can use your other hand to slip the old belt off. This only took a few minutes to do.

The hard part is getting the new belt back on since it's tighter and new. Follow diagram on the body and route the belt back on. You should leave the crankshaft pulley last since it doesn't move.

Now...push on that 19mm wrench on the tensioner pulley all the way up as far as possible. Before doing this, it's best to get a buddy to help you slip the belt back in. Get him setup by sitting next to the right front wheel. By turning the wheel to the farthest right, he should have enough space to reach in and help you slip the belt back to the pulley.

Good luck.
 
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#3 ·
Glad to hear it went great for you. Let me give everyone a hint. When you pull the old one off, ALWAYS check it next to the new one to make sure it is the same length (not a 1/4 inch or more longer or shorter). It will DRIVE YOU CRAZY trying to put a new belt on that is not exactly the same length as the one you took off. Especially if you are working in an area when you can't really see what you are doing, and are doing it by feel. Remember that the new serpentine belts do not stretch like the old V-Belts do/did. The steel and heavy cord in them is more sturdy then the old belts.
One other thing is to MAKE SURE that you have a diagram that shows how the belts are routed BEFORE you start. Sometimes, for different reasons, the diagram is missing. If it is missing, BEFORE you remove the old belt, draw your own diagram to help guide you putting the new belt back on.
 
#4 ·
DSMLVR said:
Glad to hear it went great for you. Let me give everyone a hint. When you pull the old one off, ALWAYS check it next to the new one to make sure it is the same length (not a 1/4 inch or more longer or shorter). It will DRIVE YOU CRAZY trying to put a new belt on that is not exactly the same length as the one you took off.
Problem is, these belts stretch slightly, so a new one will almost always be a little bit smaller than the old one.
 
#6 ·
That's the beauty of a modern serpentine belt system, and the spring-loaded tensioner. The slack/stretch inherent in a rubber belt is taken up by the tensioner, making the need for adjustments (as with the old v-belts) a thing of the past.
 
#8 ·
DSMLVR said:
A modern Serpentine belt stretching an INCH is pretty much. :eekkkk:
Not really, especially if it's a long one. THe S-belt on my Ford Escort ZX2 is 81 inches long. Stretching an inch is not excessive on a belt that long.
 
#10 ·
The "slot" on the back of the tensioner has disappeared on the Mopar replacement part. Now I have to get a special tool (some have mentioned I can borrow one from some Advance Auto parts store) to put the belt back on. Seriously, how much money did Dayco (or whoever) save by eliminating the back slot?
 
#14 ·
Yup, I found this out replacing mine. Instead of the tab/slot cast into the end of the tensioner housing (which is used to lever with the 19mm wrench) - they have a square hole that WOULD accept a 1/2" drive socket/breaker bar IF there were enough clearance up against the frame. Pisser. I improvised with a stubby chunk of square bar that I could fit into the hole, and then get a wrench on.

-Jim
 
#11 ·
There are about 3 or 4 different length belts for this engine family, depending on, amongst other things, whether you have AC. Many of these belts WILL fit any given Caravoyager. That doesn't mean you have the RIGHT belt.

Apart from the Caravoyagers without AC, the belts are all remarkably close in length (a few mm aoart like 997 and 1000)

So, be very careful to check the belt you get even from the dealer let alone the aftermarket places. They are often known to pull the wrong belt. Too long a belt will make it throw belts easily and too short a belt will kill the tensioner.
 
#12 ·
I just did mine. The Gates tensioner I used has a spot on the right side to put a breaker bar in. That worked a lot better than when I used the 19mm to take the old belt off. The tensioner is an easy change.

Thanks for posting this. It made my job MUCH easier. By the way, my wife actually said, "you are done already?"
 
#13 ·
19mm wrench???

I took a crack at changing my serpentine belt today after reading the writeup provided by Rocky2001 at the top. Gave up and changed my plugs and wires instead. That's a tedious PIA, but no tricks are involved.

My problem with the serp belt is that I don't see anywhere to put a "19mm wrench" as the writeup says. I do see a slot in the tensioner where it looks like my 3/8 socket handle would fit in (like it did on my 94 Voyager), but there isn't room between the tensioner and the inside of the wheel well for a regular socket handle to fit. Does this require one of those skinny "belt changing" tools I've seen? Or do I really need a 19mm wrench and am missing something obvious. Thanks.
 
#15 ·
I could be very wrong here, but the 3rd gen vans are a PAIN to get a new belt on. Even if you have a long wrench, there isn't physically enough room to MOVE the wrench to fully extend the tensioner to get a new belt on.

I'm probably not going to attempt a belt change on my 3rd gens ever again because when my brand new alternator failed that I installed myself, the dealer also had to replace my tensioner...and I'm wondering if perhaps somehow I broke the tensioner. (Though, when I explained in detail to the mehanic what I did, he said that I shouldn't have been able to damage the unit as i physically couldn't get the wrench to extend it fully- no matter what position it was in on the tensioner.

Glad to hear that they've made it MUCH easier for the 4th gen.

I noticed that the alternator is actually ACCESIBLE on the 4th gens too. As in, almost right in front of your face, instead of buried under the darned wiper cowl.
 
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