How to Replace the Serpentine Belt in a Chevy Silverado

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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(4 Ratings)

A serpentine belt is an important part of any engine. The serpentine belt is so-called because it generally runs multiple accessories and "snakes" around under the hood. On a Chevy Silverado, the serpentine belt drives the alternator and other aspects of the vehicle: Generally, the V6 model will have one serpentine belt for all components, while the V8 may have a separate belt for the air conditioner compressor.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Wrench or breaker bar
Replacement belt

Step 1

Find the auto-adjusting belt tensioner pulley. The belt tensioner can be located using a belt routing diagram, which you should find on the radiator support.
Step 2

Use your wrench or breaker bar to rotate the bolt on the belt tensioner to release tension on the belt.
Step 3

Slip the old serpentine belt off of the pulleys and take it out.
Step 4

Use the belt routing diagram again to route the new belt. If you can't find a routing diagram in your documentation, or under the hood, you can use the Dayco product site where belt routing diagrams are in hyperlinks next to the belt description. Enter make, model and year to get the right routing diagram.
Step 5

Rotate the belt tensioner again to allow the belt to be fully installed.
Step 6

Make sure the belt is well seated on all of the pulleys.
Step 7

Run the engine and observe to make sure the belt is installed properly.

Tips & Warnings

This guide is based on a limited range of model years. While most Chevy Silverado models have the same self-adjusted tensioner system and a very similar belt routing, check model specifics to make sure you have the right tools and parts for your Chevy truck and the correct methods for installation.

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