It's not a technical job, but I could not find any info online about how to go about it. A few people said to remove the fan to get the belts on and off, but I realized that all you have to do is remove the 4 bolts holding the fan shroud on, pull it forward away from the radiator, and you can now slip the belts in between the fan and the radiator. The link can be found under the "maintenence" section on my website, or at this link

http://www.toyotaoffroad.net/afertig/88/belts.htm


Joe or any other mods, would you be interested in publishing this to 4x4wire's maintenence section? I know it would have helped me get the job done quicker and easier. I get emails daily from people thanking me for saving them money by using the articles I've written on power steering, alternator, and starter repair. I thought this would be another way to save some money, as I've heard of dealers wanting to charge $250 to change belts.

Hope this helps someone!

Nobody found this usefull?

Looks pretty good. The way I tend to jump around between buying vehicles I always tend to forget how a particular manufacturers sets things up. Have you ever tried changing the serpentine belt on a Chevy SS454 pickup? That tensioner could snap your arm in half. But I'll honestly say that I don't remember ever changing the belts on a V6 Toyota and I've had 4 or 5 of them now. The helpful hints should save somebody time.

Thanks I have the new belts and need to replace them soon. That should help a lot. BTW, how did your engine get so rusted?

Man, I coulda used this info about a month ago! This will definitely help me out in the future if'n I forget which bolts to attack w/ liquid wrench and a hammer <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />! That's some nice work w/ that link <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/coolg.gif" alt="" />!

-kuso <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

Dunno, just from being outside I guess. Also my battery fell out of it's holder and got split open by the power steering pump pulley, resulting in battery acid all over the place. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I had the same problem with the p/s tensioner bolt, mine was rusted and snapped too. I ended up using a pry bar to tighten the belt while tightening the locking bolt.

Never had a problem changing the belts on a 3.0. A lot easier if you take the removeable strip off the bottom of the shroud, did not have to take the shroud loose!!!!!

Don't always blame a turned over belt on someone putting it on wrong, as belts wear and get looser they sometimes turn themselves inside out!!!!

Thanks Adam, I finally changed my belts and your write-up was very helpful. But I have one question, how do I know when the tension is right on the new belts? Is it better to be too loose rather than too tight?

You want about 1/4" to 1/2" of deflection over a belt span of 12 inches or so.

Glad I could help!