2010 serpentine belt replacement question...

[KOwens]

Looking at the electrical connection on the front of the "bird brain controlled" viscous fan on my 2010 diesel 4X4 and wonder what the procedure is for getting the old serpentine belt off and the new belt on without disassembling the radiator shroud and fan unit.

Looks like you'd have to have Keebler Elf hands to unplug that particular connector...so there must either be a trick or some disassembly that doesn't look very intellectually satisfying.

The CD based manual doesn't seem to address any of this...and simply tells you to remove the tension on the belt and remove...then install the new one in reverse order. Not a big fan of these new CD based manuals...that's for sure!

Anyway, if you've suffered through this belt change yourself, I'd love to hear about any short cuts or misery I'm in for when I change this belt.

Thanks, Kevin

 

[Bob4x4]

The belt does not have to go around the fan to install.Pull the air filter assy out of the way will allow you easier access to remove the tensioner making it easier to route the belt behind it,to releive the tensioner is easiest from under the truck

 

[KOwens]

Hey Bob4x4,

Thanks for that bit of genius! Now that you mention it, I see that the fan must be riding on the back side of the serpentine belt...and that the belt will simply pull off the power steering pulley and be easily removed without having to get the belt around the fan and shroud.

Thank you very much for the information...I guess I'm getting tired. Been a hot weekend in the garage under the truck.

Guess I'll have to take back what I said about the CD based manual...seems they had it right and I was wrong. As I recall on my '95, the serpentine belt went around the fan before it could be installed...so I was thinking I would have to do the same somehow!

Anyway thanks again for the insight...that makes me feel much better about completing this particular task.

Kevin

 

[Bill Stockard]

Hey Bob4x4,

Thanks for that bit of genius! Now that you mention it, I see that the fan must be riding on the back side of the serpentine belt...and that the belt will simply pull off the power steering pulley and be easily removed without having to get the belt around the fan and shroud. As I recall on my '95, the serpentine belt went around the fan before it could be installed...so I was thinking I would have to do the same somehow!

Kevin

That's what I thought too the first time I looked a replacing the belt on a 3rd gen truck after replacing belts on 1st and 2nd gen trucks. After looking closely at the belt routing on a 3rd gen, it finally soaked into my feeble mind that the belt looped over the fan pulley and not around it.

By the way, the job goes much faster with two people... one working from below and one from above.

Bill

 

[KOwens]

Yeah Bill...thought about that too. I climbed below the truck and saw it was easier to get to the tensioner that way...but no way to reach the water pump to slip the belt off the pulley. So my son will help me out with another set of hands on this one. Good call on the "two man job!"

Thanks again, Kevin

 

[KOwens]

Hey Bob4x4 and Bill Stockard,

Got 'er done! Thanks again for the advice...worked out just as you said.

Thanks again, Kevin