SuperAkuma Posted January 29, 2022 Posted January 29, 2022 2011 Subaru Legacy 2.5i MT about 180k miles When I was doing the oil change last week I noticed that my serpentine belt was cracking. I've never replaced this unless if they replaced it when I did my timing belt at the shop at about 90k. I watched a youtube video on how to replace this and it looks pretty straight forward but I have a couple questions. -Are there any adjusts or aligning anything that I need to be aware of when doing the job? -Is this something that I need to buy at the dealership or would one from autozone do the job? When I replace this is there anything else I need to replace? What other thing I should be aware of when doing this?
FLlegacy Posted January 29, 2022 Posted January 29, 2022 A quality aftermarket part should do just fine. make sure when you get it back on it is not hanging off any of the pulleys. You might also take a few pics of the old one and how it is routed before removing it. For replacements I like Goodyear, Continental, and dayco brands.
Sonder Posted January 29, 2022 Posted January 29, 2022 (edited) Super easy! I did it on mine and did a drawing no shocker and took a video with my phone! Edited January 29, 2022 by Sonder fat fingered words
Scubaboo Posted January 29, 2022 Posted January 29, 2022 When you pull the belt I do suggest spinning the pulleys by hand to see how they are. You may want to replace any pulleys with worn bearings. 1
DrD123 Posted January 30, 2022 Posted January 30, 2022 agreed - pull the belt, then check the pulley on the tensioner and the other idler pulley to make sure the bearings are ok - if they sound crunchy or have a lot of play, might as well replace them. The OEM belt is $26.95 (MSRP) so not really expensive. The tensioner is $107 (MSRP) and the idler is $50. I replaced mine when I did my timing belt, and used an OEM belt (the tensioner and idler pulleys were both smooth and quiet, so I left them be). If you had a shop do it, and didn't ask them to replace the serpentine belt (and it's not listed on the receipt) odds are it's the original that is still on there. It's very easy to do - one piece of advice, take a quick picture of the belt routing before you remove the belt (to save yourself the inevitable question of "now how did this thing go on there again?")
SuperAkuma Posted January 31, 2022 Author Posted January 31, 2022 agreed - pull the belt, then check the pulley on the tensioner and the other idler pulley to make sure the bearings are ok - if they sound crunchy or have a lot of play, might as well replace them. The OEM belt is $26.95 (MSRP) so not really expensive. The tensioner is $107 (MSRP) and the idler is $50. I replaced mine when I did my timing belt, and used an OEM belt (the tensioner and idler pulleys were both smooth and quiet, so I left them be). If you had a shop do it, and didn't ask them to replace the serpentine belt (and it's not listed on the receipt) odds are it's the original that is still on there. It's very easy to do - one piece of advice, take a quick picture of the belt routing before you remove the belt (to save yourself the inevitable question of "now how did this thing go on there again?") If the tensioner and idler pulley is not in the best condition can I still put the belt on and remove the belt again when I order the new parts? I don't mind doing the job twice if I have to, just want to want order something and not needed it.
DrD123 Posted January 31, 2022 Posted January 31, 2022 If the tensioner and idler pulley is not in the best condition can I still put the belt on and remove the belt again when I order the new parts? I don't mind doing the job twice if I have to, just want to want order something and not needed it. absolutely - you could also pull the old belt and take a look before ordering anything, then put it back on until the new belt and any other parts (if needed) arrive - that way you only pay shipping for parts once.
SuperAkuma Posted January 31, 2022 Author Posted January 31, 2022 A quality aftermarket part should do just fine. make sure when you get it back on it is not hanging off any of the pulleys. You might also take a few pics of the old one and how it is routed before removing it. For replacements I like Goodyear, Continental, and dayco brands. Thanks! My local autozone has the Continental Belt in stock. I just hate going to the dealership for parts. Those stupid sales guy keep asking me to trade my car in for a new one.
2012 Legacy H6 Posted September 22, 2024 Posted September 22, 2024 My serpentine belt/tensioner/idler pulley on my 3.6R were all replaced in June of 2023 by the dealership. However for the last few months or more, there has been a low chirp coming from either of the three at idle. There's no squeal on startup or any significant noise. I loosened the belt and felt there was no major play or any bearing noise coming from the pulley. Could this be due to a stretched belt or perhaps a defective part? I've driven the vehicle about 30K miles since the repair.
Alexmed2002 Posted September 22, 2024 Posted September 22, 2024 1 hour ago, 2012 Legacy H6 said: My serpentine belt/tensioner/idler pulley on my 3.6R were all replaced in June of 2023 by the dealership. However for the last few months or more, there has been a low chirp coming from either of the three at idle. There's no squeal on startup or any significant noise. I loosened the belt and felt there was no major play or any bearing noise coming from the pulley. Could this be due to a stretched belt or perhaps a defective part? I've driven the vehicle about 30K miles since the repair. It wouldn't hurt contacting the dealer that did the repair to see what they say. There's usually warranties on repairs, but they all vary. 1
Scubaboo Posted September 23, 2024 Posted September 23, 2024 Did you do the AC belt too? You can isolate which by spritzing a bit of water on the groves and back of each belt, one at a time, and see which one quiets down. If neither quiets down, might not be a belt making the noise. 1
2012 Legacy H6 Posted January 5 Posted January 5 On 9/23/2024 at 7:46 PM, Scubaboo said: Did you do the AC belt too? You can isolate which by spritzing a bit of water on the groves and back of each belt, one at a time, and see which one quiets down. If neither quiets down, might not be a belt making the noise. I thought they installed a new tensioner but apparently I was wrong. I had to fight with my warranty company at the time (2.5 years ago already?) to get them replaced, but to my best knowledge they were supposed to. I know they did replace the idler pulley. The pulley bearing on the tensioner was fine, but apparently the tensioner itself wasn't. Once I changed the tensioner, the squeaking went away. I also threw on a new idler pulley along with it.
Scubaboo Posted January 6 Posted January 6 Yeah those auto tensioners can be f'd up and not be so obvious. Good its solved for you now.
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