Removing a Serpentine Belt Using Jacking Screw Tensioner

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is Nate McCullough on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this clip we are going to talk about the proper way to remove a belt with a jacking screw style tensioner. The first thing you have to do when removing a belt that has a jacking screw style tensioner is break loose the mounting bolts for the accessory that you removing the belt from. There are 2 mounting bolts on this particular vehicle that may change depending on the make or manufacturer. This first bolt I am going to loosen is this bolt. This is the end of the bolt. The head is located on the other side, right here. I am going to go ahead and grab my wrench, put it on there and loosen it a couple of turns. These bolts are exposed to the elements and they are protected by the hood but moisture, engine grime and road debris will still cause corrosion. You are going to want to lubricate any bolts you try and turn being that they are not a hardened bolt. If you break one of them, you are going to require the services of a professional mechanic to drill out or extract what is left and retap the hole. The second mounting bolt is located down here. It is kind of a toughie to get at but we will go ahead and loosen it up. Like I said these locations will vary from make and model. Some of them are a walk in the park and some aren’t. We are going to go ahead and put a couple of turns on this guy; that should be good enough for that. Get my wrench out of the way. Once they have been loosened it is time to go ahead and operate the jacking screw, which is this component right here; just turn it counterclockwise. If you have air tools you made be tempted to put an air tool on these bolts. That is not my recommendation. You don’t get a second chance with the air tool. Once you put it on and squeeze the trigger, it is either going to come out or break. I always recommend using hand tools when working on the motor. Once you have the jacking screw significantly loosened, we are going to go ahead and just roll out belt off the first pulley, right there. That is how you remove the belt with a jacking screw styled tensioner."