GSteg

iTrader: (15)

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

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

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.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

You guys are all great! I admittedly felt a little intimidated after I looked at the tight space and didn't realize I could take that intake shroud off so easily! I was thinking ahead of how I was going to put my hand in that space behind the radiator, etc. Plus, my car was still fairly hot and I was concerned about burning myself and should have waited. Oh well.

All in all, it took me about 20 minutes. I bought the Gatorback V belt as you all recommended and it is so quiet...much quieter than the stock belt. What is funny is the stock belt still looks brand new. No cracks, nothing. Just some "glazing" I guess on it. DEFINITELY NOT worth $165 at Sewell Lexus to replace. Total cost was about $38.00 at Autozone.

I totally recommend doing this yourself. Very easy! THANK YOU!

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Just wanted to keep this awesome thread alive from a long time ago and thanks to the experts who taught me how to do this. I was so proud of myself for doing this on my 2002 and never would have attempted it if it wasn't for TALWANGs great write up, PearlPower too. It wasn't "easy" but it was moderately easy. If you can change your own oil, replace filters, bulbs, you can do this!

For all the chirpers out there this fall/winter. Keep this thread handy!

howdybob22

Yep, it's that time of year alright. Mine squeals on cold start and either quiet down or completely go away after the engine is nice and warm up. I would have just replace the belt if it was old, but this one was replaced by a mechanic about 1.5 year ago and have not been driven that many miles (3000) - weekend car. I've done some search on the web that say I should clean the pulleys first with brite pads and use brake cleaners before install the belt. My questions are these:
1. Would a serpentine belt goes bad this fast or I might have something else?
2. Would brand names belts like the ones mentioned (Goodyear Gatorback) makes that much of a difference over the generic belt? I'm almost sure that the mechanic only put on some cheap generic belt.
All inputs are greatly appreciated. I will probably have to do this myself since I don't seem to trust that mechanic who put it on earlier anymore and found this very informative thread. Thnx.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't put anything on the pulleys personally. You seem to have a garage queen like me, and I put 5k miles in 3 years on my last 02 when I followed this great write up and did mine myself on a Saturday.

Yes, the belt would go bad, in my opinion sometimes even quicker with less driving because the belt is staying put for a long period of time. Mine went within 4k or so as well and I was thoroughly surprised that I was putting the 3rd belt in my car and it only had 29k miles. IMHO, belts, hoses, fluids still need to be changed out REGARDLESS of mileage after a certain point. That's why I follow the month maintenance schedule on our cars, not the mileage.

I used the GY Gatorback exactly pictured at Autozone. Yes, it would make a difference. I think it grips better than the other ones, you can tell by the grooves. Maybe that's why they call it a gatorback? When you buy it and look at the grooves and quality of the belt compared to a generic one you will see what I am talking about.

DIY is pretty easy. I am pretty low in my skill sets for DIY (can't paint the house, can't run a saw but can install a ceiling fan/light, can change oil, filters, bulbs). I saw that this install really didn't require anything special and I went for it. I read this write up about five times before I started, you will need a flashlight, I would put on some light gloves, socket wrench and you are ready to go. Pretty straight forward. Follow the diagram. Good luck and keep us posted.

Harold57

A belt will have the same issues as tires that aren't driven. Tires will develop flat spots (conforming to the shape of the concrete). Belts are made of similar material as tires, so they will conform to the shape they are left/stretched in against the pulleys.

howdybob22

Awsome inputs. Thnx.

tfeni52355

I put the GY Gatorback on my wife's SC shortly after we got it. Her '02 SC only had 16K miles on it but the squeaking was definitely there. All the reference to low miles causing flat spots seem to make sense. $40 or so at AutoZone and 20 minutes. Done, no squeaks.

The SC is driven daily now so the belt will probably last much longer. Already has 14K miles on the belt.

norman52

Did it last night. I had a new Toyota belt put on just a few months ago when I had the timing belt done and it started to chirp a little bit in the morning when the engine was cold. I tried the belt dressing bit, thinking I would try to fix it the cheap way. Didn't work $4 down the drain. Boought the Goodyear belt based on this thread and it took 30 minutes or less and I have X-large hands. Now it is perfectly quiet. The belt looks totally different than the Toyota belt. I took the old belt and a 10MM wrench and 14MM wrench and vacuum packed them and put them down with the spare tire just in case I ever break a belt during my travels.
This job was a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Tensi

Hi guys. I am getting some squealing from the engine bay and I am having trouble diagnosing it... since I am not very handy. But my first thought was that it was a belt... so I searched and it brought me to this thread.

Anyways, I am still under warranty on my 04. Is there any way for me to diagnose this? Or should I just mention it at my next service?

Yes

it's the serpentine belt, which isn't covered under warranty. i'd just go to autozone, get a gatorback and install it yourself. should only take 5-10 minutes.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

^ No way.... Not for someone who is not handy.... 5-10 minutes maybe if you've done it 10 times lol!

Realistically I am pretty handy (can change oil, paint, mow my own yard, do my own pool chemicals and can fix a computer problem) and it took me about 30 minutes.

If you are not handy at all, I would take it to a dealer. You really can't screw anything up... So good news is that if you are patient have the right tools and desire to be handy this would be a nice diy project! . Liquidsc is correct- $40 for a gatorback and a little time (whether you are superman with a record 5 minute or 30 minute install) it is well worth it to diy

Tensi

Thanks guys! Been reading the forum. I think I might take a stab at it.
Curious about one thing... when it gets warm, it seems to disappear altogether. Is the belt still OK?

Yes

as the belt gets old, the rubber gets hard. it slips, causing it to squeak. when the engine runs a while, the heat softens it up, so it stops squeaking. you could probably drive with it squeaking for a long time, possibly years, without it breaking. but for $30 and a few minutes of your time, it's worth fixing.