How do you change the serpentine belt for a 1999 Pontiac Sunfire?

Answer 1

If you go to advance auto, or auto zone and purchase a haynes manual for 10 to 20 dollars, it will describe in detail (including pictures) of this repair, and many more for this automobile.

*Edit: Before you read this rant, I have specific instructions on how to replace the belt on a 1999 Sunfish below the next few paragraphs. But please feel free to explore the rhetoric which I have provided for you in the mean time while you kill some time on the 'net. Surely, you have two minutes to indulge yourself in my musings.

Whoever posted this answer obviously read the question wrong. It asks specifically, clearly and in one sentence how one would change the serpentine belt on his Sunfish. The answer is a response to a different question, which would be "Where do I find the instructions on how to change a serpentine belt for my car?" The asker already knows the answer to this question, he went to Answers.com to find it. You're one step behind, kiddo.

Now. Being the owner of a 1997 Sunfire myself, and since the two engines are nearly identical, I was curious as to how one would perform this operation, so I Google'd it. Now I'm here, and still at a lack of an answer. Shoot...

I know you feel like you've contributed by waving your e-penis around and throwing a quick "professional sounding" answer back, but this isn't the question you were trying to answer. The asker of this question was obviously not going to spend any money learning how to do something this simple, and you haven't changed their mind, I'm quite positive. They most likely went to find another website which did have the answer.

So please, if you are not a professional, an experienced worker in your field, are not highly knowledgeable, are not willing to spend your time sharing what you know, or do not have regular, intimate contact with the subject matter which the question regards, do NOT attempt to answer the question.

Nobody, I mean quite literally NOT ONE HUMAN BEING ALIVE will waste their time sifting through a mountain of meaningless comments to find an answer which nobody is able to provide. So, in the interest in helping a brother (or sister, let's not be sexist these days) out, I've decided to research the subject matter from a legitimate source as a big "middle finger" to the lad who thought he could answer this person's plea for help.

*HOW TO CHANGE A SERPENTINE BELT ON A 1999 Pontiac SUNFIRE*

1) Locate your 1999 Pontiac Sunfire. This is absolutely crucial because you cannot perform this operation without the vehicle at hand.

2) Locate your engine within the front half of your 1999 Pontiac Sunfire. It's the thing, under the hood, with that other stuff.

3) Your serpentine belt is going to be on the left side of the engine compartment. It's the belt, named creatively after an appendage-lacking vertebrate which it does not resemble in the slightest. So the name serpentine belt could perhaps be misleading. It's more of a gargantuan rubber band, but they don't call it that.

4) Locate your belt tensioner. I wish I were able to post pictures on this website, since there are many, many ideas and concepts which cannot be conveyed using words alone. If you have the 2.2L engine, check out this visual:

http://media.Photobucket.com/image/belt%20routing%20diagram%20sunfire%202.2/fluffy_032/42188358.gif

2.4L engine:

http://www.maybenow.com/External.aspx?url=http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php%3ffile%3d/500/1724872200.JPG

You will find that the tensioner in this photograph is indicated by a lovely red arrow.

Now it should be noted that the engine you are most likely concerned with will still be surrounded by thousands of pounds of Pontiac, so these visuals should be used as a guide only. I hold no responsibility for your lack of ability to find a tensioner on an engine still mounted inside your Sunfish.

5) Grab your socket wrench with 15mm adapter (13mm for the 2.4L) and find your belt removal tool, which I'm sure you've already purchased from your local car parts shop. If not, either buy one, or sack up and do this without it.

6) Using some elbow grease, turn the tensioner in a clockwise direction and weasel the gargantuan rubber band off of the engine while it's all loosy-goosy like. Better yet, grab a buddy and make him hold the tensioner while you take care of the rubber band yourself. Makes life easier for you.

7) Get that thing back on before going for a spin, Jack. If you feel like driving without it, at least put it on YouTube. Make sure you adhere exactly to the belt routing diagram which I have linked for you. A properly executed serpentine belt replacement leaves you with a sense of accomplishment, so you might as well put your all into it and make sure it's a job well done.

I sincerely hope that this will be helpful to somebody :)