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How to Replace Serpentine Belt Tensioner 1999-2014 Chevy Silverado 1500

Created on: 2013-03-04

Learn how to replace the serpentine belt tensioner in your 99-06 Chevy Silverado with this 1A Auto video.

  1. step 1 :Removing the Serpentine Belt
    • Check the tension of the belt by hand
    • Locate the serpentine belt diagram
    • Familiarize yourself with the route of the serpentine belt
    • With a 3/8 inch drive ratchet pull the belt tensioner aside to loosen the belt
    • Pull the belt off of the idler pull
    • Pull the belt out
  2. step 2 :Removing the Serpentine Belt Tensioner
    • Remove the 15mm bolt from the tensioner
    • Pull off the tensioner by hand
  3. step 3 :Installing the New Serpentine Belt Tensioner
    • Push the tensioner into place using the locating tab
    • Start the 15mm bolt by hand
    • Tighten the bolt to between 35-40 foot-pounds
  4. step 4 :Reinstalling the Serpentine Belt
    • Loop the belt around the crank pulley
    • Bring it around the water pump
    • Bring it around the power steering pulley
    • Bring it around the A/C pulley
    • Bring it around the tensioner and the alternator
    • Start to press it under the idler pulley
    • Use the 3/8 inch drive ratchet to move the tensioner and loosen the belt
    • Press the belt underneath the idler pulley
    • Check that the belt is routed correctly

Tools needed

  • 15mm Wrench

    Torque Wrench

    15mm Socket

    Ratchet

    3/8 Inch Drive Ratchet

Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.

Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.

In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the serpentine belt tensioner on this 2005 Silverado with the 4.3-liter. This vehicle, like I said, has the 4.3-liter so, the procedure's the same for any Silverado or Sierra with the 4.3-liter. Since this is the '05, it does have the electric fan so everything is really easy to get to in the front. If you have an earlier version, you may have the engine fan on the engine, which just makes things a little more difficult to get to.

Okay, so if you hear some squeaking when your engine's running and it changes if your A/C's on or if you're putting a load on the alternator, come in here and check your belt. My tensioner is actually in good shape, so that's about how tight it should be. If you can press down more than that and when you're pressing the tensioner moves quite a bit, I'll show you here, my tensioner, when I press, doesn't really move a lot, but as these loosen up in age, when you press on the belts, you'll be able to move the tensioner quite a bit. If I really pull, you can see I can really move that tensioner, but that's me pulling hard. If you just put some pressure on especially over here, that tensioner shouldn't move at all.

Okay, the serpentine belt is pretty easy. First make sure you find your belt diagram. This is the 4.3-liter V6, so there's the diagram. It matches up with what's in the engine compartment. Removing the belt is pretty easy. Put a 3/8 inch drive ratchet right in here. Pull on that and see that loosens the belt. Move it from the idler pulley up top. Release that slowly and you can pull your belts right off.

To remove your tensioner, it's a 15-millimeter bolt. Use a 15-millimeter socket and ratchet or a wrench will work too. Good, easy engine to work on, for sure, for the front. It seems to get the job done in this truck. We don't ask it to do a lot, just haul some stuff around every once in a while. Okay, tensioner comes off. Reinstall the tensioner. My old one is in good shape so I'm just putting it back in. New ones from 1A Auto are going to have a bolt in there just the same. There's obviously the hole where the bolt goes through and there's a locating tab, goes into the hole there. Just make sure that you put that in correctly. Put the bolt in. That's in tight, not too tight though, between 35 and 40 foot pounds.

To put the belt on, you want to follow the pattern. You can't really see this, but I'm going to go down, around the crank pulley first. Then, I bring this up and around the water pump here. Then it goes from the water pump down to the power steering pulley here, up to the A/C pulley and across the tensioner and the alternator. I'm just going to kind of reach down and make sure everything's on the way it should be. Now, you can press down. You see the belt starts to tighten up and you try to press it onto the idler here. Then, we take our wrench, put it in, press down. That gives us the slack to put the belt right in here. Then, just check, make sure it's on all the pulleys correctly, it's in the grooves. It's actually not quite on there correctly, here. So, pull it off here. New belt's on.

We hope this helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.

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1996 - 1999  GMC  Suburban K2500
1996 - 1998  GMC  K1500 Truck
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1996 - 2000  GMC  K2500 Truck
1996 - 1999  GMC  Suburban K1500
1996 - 2000  GMC  K3500 Truck
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Kit image

Chevrolet GMC 3 Piece Serpentine Drive Belt Component Kit TRQ BPA06509

Part Details:

  • 3 Piece
  • (1) Serpentine Belt Idler Pulley
  • (1) Serpentine Belt
  • (1) Accessory Drive Belt Tensioner
$71.95
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