Serpentine belt How do you change it? do you have to remove the front wheel to get to the tensioner or can you do it from on top?

Pull your Serpentine belt, remove the Cam Belt Cover, (it may be advantageous to remove front wheel in the Cam Belt side) Remove the timing belt and time the engine to specifications, make sure you are on #1TDC, remove the tensioner and replace. if there is and Idler pulley replace that as well. You can use Spray Carb Cleaner to clean the pulleys before replacing the belt. Note, you may have to also remove the Harmonic Balancer and pulleys from the crankshaft.

There is a belt tensioner that has to be moved to release the tension on the belt. Once the tensioner is moved you can remove the belt and install the new one. Sometimes you need a special tool to move the tensioner.
Make sure you have a drawing of the routing of the belt, normally there is a sticker on the hood or the radiator support.

You'll need a Serpentine Belt Tool and a socket set.

Rotate the Caravan's serpentine belt tensioner assembly clockwise to relieve the tension on the belt. Slip the belt off the tensioner with your free hand before rotating the tensioner back to its home position. Remove the tool.
Extract the two mounting bolts that hold the serpentine belt tensioner assembly to the Caravan's front engine cover using your socket set. Depending on your physical size and dexterity, you may find this easier to accomplish through the top of the engine well or through the passenger-side wheel well.
Pull the old serpentine belt tensioner assembly out of the Caravan's engine bay by hand. Place the new serpentine belt tensioner assembly on the Caravan's front engine cover and bolt it in using your socket set.
Rotate the new serpentine belt tensioner assembly clockwise with the serpentine belt tool and then place the belt on the pulley by hand. Rotate the new serpentine belt tensioner assembly back into place. Remove the tool and close the hood.

Hello,

Just follow these steps to remove and replace the alternator. You will need this tools, Serpentine belt tool, Battery wrench, Lug wrench, Floor jack, Jack stand, Socket set,

1. Open the hood, locate the serpentine belt tensioner and move the tensioner off the
   serpentine belt with the serpentine belt tool. Slip the belt off the tensioner
   pulley with your other hand and then slowly move the tensioner back to its normal
   position. You can pinpoint the location of the belt tensioner by following the belt
   routing diagram, printed on the fan shroud.
2. Disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery with the battery wrench.
   Push the cable end away from the battery so it doesn't make contact during the
   repair.
3. Turn the lug nuts on the right-front wheel counterclockwise until they're loose
   enough for hand removal, but leave them on for now.
4. Lift the right-front end with the floor jack and support it on a jack stand placed
   underneath the right-front frame. Remove the lug nuts and right-front wheel by hand
   and set them aside.
5. Slip the serpentine belt off the alternator pulley by hand. You can access the
   alternator through the wheel well. Unplug the wiring harness from the alternator
   by hand and remove the ground strap with your socket set.
6. Remove the alternator mounting bolts with your socket set. Lift the alternator out
   of the engine well, through the wheel well. Insert the new alternator in reverse of
   how you removed the old one.
7. Thread the alternator mounting bolt through the new alternator and into the
   alternator bracket by hand. Tighten the bolts with your socket set.
8. Attach the alternator ground strap with your socket set. Plug the alternator
   wiring harness in by hand.
9. Slip the serpentine belt over the new alternator pulley. Reinstall the wheel and
   lug nuts by hand. Lower the Taurus of the jack stand with the floor jack.
10. Move the belt tensioner aside again and place the belt on the tensioner pulley with
    your free hand. Hold the belt on the pulley and slowly move the tensioner back to
    its normal position. Reconnect the negative battery cable to the battery.

Hope this helps you.
Take care and good luck

Remove the negative battery cable from the battery.
2. Loosen the right front wheel lug nuts.
3. Jack up the automobile and place jack stands in appropriate positions. Leave room to access the alternator from underneath the car.
4. Complete removal of the right front wheel.
5. Remove the right front lower splash shield.
6. Release tension on the serpentine belt at the tensioner.
7. Slip the belt off of the tensioner and the alternator.
8. Attach an engine hoist at the front of the engine. This is a transverse mounted engine and the hoist will need to be attached near the engine mount located at the right front fender inner fender.
9. Remove the top portion of this mount.
10. Loosen the rear engine mount at the firewall. This mount is slotted and will permit you to pull the engine forward toward the right front corner of the engine compartment. This will give access to the alternator.
11. Remove the two bolts that attach the serpentine belt tensioner and remove the tensioner.
12. Remove the top alternator mounting bolt. Do this from the engine compartment side.
13. Remove the lower alternator mounting bolt. Do this from underneath the car.
14. Turn the rear of the alternator up to access and remove the electrical leads.
15. Remove the alternator from the engine compartment.
16. Install the new alternator in the REVERSE ORDER.


hope this helps if it does please give a thumbs up rateing thank you have nice day

Hi, raise vehicle, support with safety latches/jackstands, remove splash guard from passenger front wheel well. Using a box-end 15mm wrench release tension from automatic tensioner. Noting belt routing, remove serpentine belt, replace with new one, reinstall splash guard.

Actually you don't have to do all of that. I just replaced one from the top. On the passenger side of the engine where the belt is, you will see the tensioner in the middle. Using a larger breaker bar with the socket that fits the bolt in the middle of the wheel, force the tensioner toward the front of the car to release pressure to remove the belt. I think it was a 15mm but can't remember for sure. I do know they are all metric sizes on that engine. The tricky part is to remember how the belt is routed. If you forget, see the diagram below. There isn't much room to work, but I'm proof that it is possible. When putting the new best on, route all pulleys and leave the alternator for last since it's right on top and easy to get to. Good luck and be patient. It's doable.

Remove the air filter housing and air hose. Set aside
Pull the 15mm bolt on the tensioner counterclockwise (towards front of car) and hold it there to loosen tension, and remove the serpentine belt.
With your 15mm wrench, unbolt the belt tensioner and remove.
Replace with new tensioner
Put serpentine belt back on.
Very easy! Be careful when releasing tension, becase if you let go of the wrench it will fly back and could hurt you.

That wasn't right though. There is a 1/2 slot for a 1/2 inch breaker bar and when two holes are lined up you stick a drill bit or similar peice through to lock it in place till you get the belt routed then pull back alittle bit on the breaker bar to remove tension from the drill bit . Remove the drill bit and release tension on breaker bar and remove it to put tension on the belt.Then check alignment , positioning, routing of the belt visually.

Jack up o/s of car and support on stand
Remove front o/s wheel

remove bottom engine covers from inside o/s wheel arch and also bottom engine cover(plastic)

support engine with jack; remove yolk engine mount ( on belt side)

Put 1/2" extension drive into top of belt tensioner and pull toward engine - you can now put a 3mm drill bit or allen key into hole at side of tensioner to hold in position.

remove serpentine belt

from underneath car, use 8mm ( I think) allen key to remove centre bolt from belt tensioner

It should now come off of the car

fitting is the reverse of the above

hope it helps