Do you have to remove the motor mount to install the serpentine belt on a 97 Grand Am SE?

The engine rolls back toward the firewall because of the mount on the lower passenger side of the engine. It is called a torque strut or "Dogbone" but disconnecting it is usually not necessary as the rearward twist of the engnine is usually not significant enough to cause a problem.

Answer

i have read, and heard from others that you need only to remove the bolt or nuts from the mount,not remove it. this will allow you to support the engine with a jack under the oil pan (using a board to spread the weight out). From here you should be able to loosen the tensioner with a wrench and replace the belt.

Answer

Yes, support the engine with a jack and a 2X4 on the oil pan when removing the engine mounts. I did this not too long ago...it's a little scary when you remove that second bolt. I had the jack dead center on the pan and the engine shifted towards the firewall. I easily pulled it back into place though.

I changed one on my son's car without removing anything. I went to Auto Zone where I rented a "serpentine belt tool". It's basically a long flat piece of steel (about 24" long) with a socket head on one end. The kit comes with 3 different size metric sockets and box end wrench adapters. (depending on how much room is between the fender wall and the tensioner pulley) I had to use the 15mm box end adapter. He has a 4 cyl. Anyway, get the wrench on the tensioner pulley and pull toward the front of the car until the belt comes off. I did it at the same time I replaced the altenator and had no problems at all. Took about 20 minutes all together.

First answer by anonymous. Last edit by Wonheart. Contributor trust: 26 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 90 [recommend question]