Serpentine Belt? creaking in the morning after cold starts.....

rclab1 · 12-29-06, 11:48 AM

Can anyone tell me what a Serpentine Belt is? (how much is it for that part alone and to install at the dealership?)

Dealership told me why during the cold mornings after I start the car up, it is creaking and squeeking........

They told me it needs to be replaced?......anyone have this replaced before?

thanks.....

talwang · 12-29-06, 12:09 PM

It is very easy to change and will take you about 20 minutes.
I just did it last week.
Go to AutoZone and get the Gatorback belt by GoodYear for less than $40.

Here is the link to the instruction.
If you have an Injen Intake, then it should take you less than 10 minutes to change the belt. haha

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/show...ht=change+belt

rclab1 · 12-29-06, 04:24 PM

note: the link up above was for a GS400, I have a SC430.....Will it be the same? where are the belt release tensioners so I can remove the older Serpentine Belt? thanks......

wow!!!!!!

wow, only $40.00, I will definitely change it myself..... the Dealership quoted me $150.00 just on the belt alone, and I don't know the labor cost.....

Thanks very much.....I will definitely PM if I run into trouble installing it myself? Does it require just loosing a "round pulley"....then attaching the belt?.....

thanks once again......

talwang · 12-29-06, 06:41 PM

Maybe PearlPower should chime in.

You can pm him if you don't understand anything I say.

GS400 and SC430 are the same, don't worry.
$150 just for the belt alone...that is crazy.

I spent less than 10 minutes on my SC430 the first try and then only 2 minutes on my brother-in-law's GS400.
Both cars have after-market intake, so it gave me enough room to access the belt area without removing anything.

You may need to remove part of your stock air box.
It is also easy and should take you less than 10 minutes.

The tool you will need to change the belt is 14mm socket and wrench.

This is what I used.

Push the wrench down to release the belt by turning the drive belt tensioner counterclockwise, and remove the belt as exactly shown in pic.
When you let go the wrench, the tensioner will go back to its original position.
You turn the drive belt tensioner counterclockwise again when you put the belt back.
A picture of the belt diagram should be found on the inside of the hood in case you forget how to put the belt back.

BoostAddct · 12-30-06, 10:31 AM

Thanks for these pics guys, I haven't had a chance to look into it yet, but my SC430 has been starting to squeak and I figured the belt needed to be replaced. Is this common for only 35K miles on this car? Usually belts last alot longer from my experience.

talwang · 12-30-06, 12:39 PM

It is hard to say.
I had dealer replace it under warranty 2 yrs ago and it had lasted only 20k miles till I changed it again last week.
Fortunately, it is a cheap DIY fix. Much easier than taking off a wheel.

cwhtrains · 04-08-07, 05:09 PM

Has anyone ever had the top center pulley go bad? Recently I have had a lot of the chirping noise, so following the directions above, took the tension off the belt, removed the top center pulley, put a small amount of oil in the bearing, put it back on, and it ran quieter for a few minutes, but then it sweaked again.

Should I just get another one and put a new belt on at the same time. I have 35,000 miles on the car and this chripping has been going on for the last year or so. I drive the car very little, only about 1,200 miles in the last year. Could the sound only be the belt itself?

Pearlpower · 04-08-07, 05:34 PM

Spray a little WD-40 or belt dressing on the ribbed part of the belt while it is running. if the noise goes away-get a new belt.

cwhtrains · 04-25-07, 10:16 AM

I took the old belt with me to our local NAPA store, who cross matched with a NAPA belt, which cost me $31.50 plus tax. Installed it and all is fine now. Thanks for the help on this one, the drawings and photos by Talwang were great.

GSteg · 04-25-07, 11:52 AM

I have the goodyear belt on my car for a year already. I can honestly say the belt runs quieter than OEM belt due to their superior design. They resist to cracking much better. Not to mention, they're cheaper.

However, a new belt from the dealer shouldn't cost $150. Retail is only $47.08. Not sure how they can charge 3x the retail price.

talwang · 04-25-07, 11:53 AM

You didn't get the Gatorback belt?

That squeaky noise is really annoying and it will get worse and worse if you ignore it.
The funny thing is we tend to blame the pulley first.

scdroptop · 05-06-07, 10:06 PM

Is this the same as the serpentine belt you guys are talking about? Mine squeaks after not being driven for a couple of days. Dealer says the belt is not worn, it is "glazed" and needs to be replaced for it to stop. I bought the platinum warranty for big bucks and it doesn't cover this!!! Dealer said $165 to replace it and I about had a stroke. I know you can get the best aftermarket belts for under $40 and it takes a couple of minutes, but I do not have an aftermarket intake. Can anyone help that has done it with the stock airbox and give a step by step? I will go get the belt if anyone can help. Thanks!

scdroptop · 05-08-07, 06:39 PM

YIKES! I got the gatorback belt, opened the hood and I have fairly normal sized hands and how in the world can you get your hands in there to manuever the belt out from under all those pulleys? Surely, you have have to remove some stuff. Please help. Thanks

GSteg · 05-08-07, 07:12 PM

Remove the intake. After that, it should be pretty easy!

Pearlpower · 05-08-07, 07:25 PM

Use a 10mm to remove the nut holding down the end of the intake. I recommend a long breaker bar for the tensionser myself as it makes things so much easier and less stressful moving the tensioner pulley. It does take a little effort but just take you time. A diagram on the belt is also under the hood somewhere.
Good choice on the belt, I run the same.