Grrr..... Civic serpentine belt...

[rationull]

So apparently I haven't learned my lesson yet. I decided today to partially remove the serpentine belt on my 07 Civic, for two reasons. First, out of plain old boredom. Second, because I wanted to spin a couple of the pulleys by hand to confirm they weren't making noise (related to some warranty work I had done at the dealer). I just got a nice GearWrench serpentine belt tensioner tool and I wanted to test it out.

Well, it's a pretty tight fit! I got it off a few of the pulleys just fine but maintaining tension to put it back on so it didn't slip off the lower pulleys while the tensioner was released was a real PITA. Before I got the hang of it (hold tight with the belt around all but the alternator pulley, and then *twist* the belt with pressure on the tensioner to get it around the last pulley) I ended up with the belt halfway off one of the pulleys with tension on it. Hope I didn't damage the belt. I doubt I did.

Anyway, after much swearing and sweating (that tensioner is pretty tight!) and probably pushing too hard on the tensioner (although it seems to be working fine) I got it back on.

Looking at the #@*% tensioner "bolt" afterwards, I see this:

The edges of the bolt where I applied force with the tool are sheared a little! Didn't seem to affect operation of the tensioner but ***? They can't make that thing out of steel? I don't know if I just pushed too hard or if that's just what happens, but I sure hope it doesn't cause problems down the road!

So afterward I took the car for a nice little drive in the hills, and flogged it a bit. Now all is forgiven.

Just wanted to vent a little!

 

[Chris142]

You didn't have your socket all the way on it.

 

[Bulli]

every car will be liek that. i was working on my car today and i warped 5 bolts.. ps there is a recall on the o7 civic water pump pulley !!

 

[BearZDefect]

What happened to the days of real steel bolts? I suspect they are still used, but manufacturers have learned where they are really needed, and where they can get away with cheaper metal.

Get some rusty bolt/nut/threads that won't loosen with the usual tricks, put a breaker bar to it, and voila, it breaks! But not how you wanted it to break. In the end, blame it all on road salt.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
You didn't have your socket all the way on it.


This is a very low profile socket, otherwise it wouldn't fit. The serp belt kit came with a bunch of different sizes of them. So this particular socket was on all the way. Anyway, the service manual recommends using a box end wrench (I couldn't find one long enough) and that would end up having about the same contact area as this socket did. Stupid design if you ask me. I much prefer the ones with the hole for a 3/8" ratchet.



Thanks Bulli, but I think that recall only affects 06 models, doesn't it? I can't find any 07 VIN ranges for it. I guess I'll get a letter if I'm affected.

 

[oilboy123]

I bought a sepentine removal wrench myself. Too tight to work for me. I even tried grinding one of the sockets down some more, still no dice.

I just use two box wrenches together.
Put the round end of the box wrench on the bolt head. I then put another box wrench with the round end into the open end of the wrench coming off the tensioner bolt.

Hook in so you can apply pressure on the bolt and use the extra leverage. Works well for me.

 

[oilyriser]

I did one on a Saturn where all you need is a 1x4 cut to the right length, and a good slam of the hood, to get the tensioner loosened.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: oilyriser
I did one on a Saturn where all you need is a 1x4 cut to the right length, and a good slam of the hood, to get the tensioner loosened.

1X4? What's that?

 

[AcuraTech]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
1X4? What's that?


A piece of wood.

Originally Posted By: oilyriser
I did one on a Saturn where all you need is a 1x4 cut to the right length, and a good slam of the hood, to get the tensioner loosened.


Honda tensioners are spring loaded, not just the type where you loosen a bolt. Meaning you need to hold it in position while you slide the belt on and off. Snap-On makes a really long 14/17mm combo box wrench that works great.

 

[OVERKILL]

That sucks. Ford puts a 1/2" drive hole in their tensioners. You can use a ratchet or a breaker bar on them quite easily that way.

 

[oilyriser]

The weight of the hood keeps the tensioner pushed back while you fish around for the belt.

 

[lostwrench]

Anytime I go out to work on the car, I always bring with me the book "1001 Bad Words".

 

[kelpie]

GM uses the square 3/8" hole too. Ratchet handle fits in tensioner arm.

 

[AcuraTech]

Originally Posted By: oilyriser
The weight of the hood keeps the tensioner pushed back while you fish around for the belt.


Not sure that would work for a Civic. The hood is small and lightweight, and the tensioner spring is stiff. Doing it that way would be asking for a broken finger.

A car with a heavier hood, I guess that might work.

 

[rationull]

Yeah this tensioner requires a LOT of force to hold. It's hydraulic, not spring loaded.