Following the directions for replacing the serpentine belt on my 2004 XK8 4.2 liter, I attached a 3/8 square drive bar to release the tensioner to remove the belt. The necessary tension is relieved to remove the belt, however while the belt is easily sliding off each of the pullies, I cannot get the belt off of the tensioner pulley! The arm from the spring portion of the tensioner is on the radiator side instead of the engine side and thus blocks removal of the belt.

Does the tensioner assembly have to be removed to allow the belt to be removed?

The diagram of the layout of the belt path appears to show the arm is on the engine side and thus the belt simply slides towards the radiator. My tensioner is just the opposite!

An aside, the YouTube videos I have researched say to attach a 13 mm socket to the tensioner pulley nut. Instead of a nut I have a hole that the 3/8 square drive bar is inserted in to and pulled to loosen the belt tension. The nut mention in the videos is facing the engine and thus not accessible!

Thoughts and or suggestions appreciated to fully remove the belt.

Thanks!

 

Can you post a picture? There is no disassembly required to get the belt off, so I'm very curious to see how your tensioner is installed/

 

It is either an after market tensioner already repacked once or someone made a mistake when they replaced it. That's my .02. TM

 

Removing the radiator fan assembly gave me so much more access room to the entire serpentine belt area when I replaced the factory belt in July 2018. If I remember correctly it was just two bolts (one on either side at the top of the assembly) and then carefully easing it up and out of the way after disconnecting its electrical harness....

 

The correctly fitted tensioner should look like this (arrowed red):





Tension is relaxed by rotating in the direction of the black arrow.

I agree with Jon that it's easier with the fan assembly out of the way but it can be done without.

Graham

 

This is how mine is installed. My question is how to get the belt around the bracket (at the arrow) ? There is not enough room between the pulley and the engine. Do you remove or loosen the tensoner bracket so to get the belt around the pulley?

Thanks.

 

Bill, noted your car is 2004 which seems to be similar as my 2003 XK8 4.2L. The belt will slip behind the pulley but I found it easier to loosen the bolt holding the tensioner a bit,then doing the R&R. Don't forget to tighten the attaching bot when you get the belt behind the pulley. The turn direction of the bolt holding the assembly to engine is standard, rightey tightey,lefty loosey. Early cars had the hex head on the assembly.

 

Did mine recently along with new upper and lower radiator hoses, water pump, thermostat housing and a new tensioner. You don't need to remove the tensioner for the belt removal. I fully bolted mine back on before replacement. Just remove the belt off of one of the other pulleys to give it some slack. Then you can just twist the belt flat against the engine and slide it past the tensioner pulley. Likewise when replacing it. I found it easier to thread the belt around the tensioner pulley first then thread it where else it needs to go and use the tensioner to allow you to slip the belt on to the final pulley that's not the tensioner. Worked for me.

 

Thanks all for the comments. After viewing a To The Garage video on removing the fan assembly, it looks rather simple and straightforward. So on to my garage to wrap up the serpentine belt replacement.

 

Like XK8 Rebel said, no parts need to be removed to change out the belt. You have to turn the belt flat and slip it through, kind of of hard to explain but just know the belt has to turn/twist 90 degrees or so and be flat to slip it out

 

Again thanks all for the comments. It’s really a simple process — when you know how. Turn the belt 90 degrees and it slips right past the tensioner. No need to remove the fan assembly, no need to remove the tensioner assembly. All in all job completed in just under an hour!