How do you install a serpentine belt on a 98 dodge grand caravan?

Answer 1

Answer

There is usually a sticker with the belt diagram located on the top radiator support. There is usually a sticker for the evaporative hose diagram as well. This is where they usually are. With time and heat they may have been peeled loose. Your local library usually has auto repair manuals, or stop at an auto supply store and see if they have the diagram. Once you have the diagram of how th ebelt goes on, it is simplay a case of looping the belt over every pulley except the alternator, and then using a ratchet and extension, insert the extension into the hole in the front of the idler pulley and compressing the tension, looping the belt over the alternator pulley then leave the tension from the idler pulley take up the slack of the belt. Note you won't have a lot of slack to play with when you have the belt over all the pulleys and it 'almost" goes over the pulley on the alternator. By compressing the idler pulley, this gives you just enough slack on the belt to slip it over the pulley. Then when you release the idler pulley the belt will get tight. Make sure when you place the belt over the pulleys that you have the belt centered on all the pulleys otherwise the belt will either come off or you won't be able to get the belt over the last pulley.

You need a 15 mm box wrench to put on the tensioner pulley. Because it is hard to pull on this wrench and slip the belt on, I'd suggest using an old serpentine belt, put one loop on the end of the wrench and the other loop around your body. Then pull the wrench bye leaning back with your body while slipping the new belt on. I would not use a 15 mm socket because it gets wedged between the pulley and the frame of the car and is very hard to remove. I also put the belt over every pulley except for the idler pulley. then when pulling back on the box wrench, I slip the belt under the idler pulley. I've used this technique several times after getting frustrated trying methods. Your body can put a lot of leverage on that 15 mm box wrench when using the old serpentine belt wrapped around your torso. Good luck