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DIY: replacing 2az-fe serpentine belt

371K views 140 replies 64 participants last post by  midgejam 
#1 · (Edited)
disclaimer ToyotaNation may or may not endorse various DIY projects such as this one, but all DIY projects are purely "at your own risk". If you are at all uncomfortable or inexperienced working on vehicles (especially electronics and mechanical), please reconsider doing the job yourself. It is very possible on any DIY to void your factory warranty, disable a safety feature, create a hazardous condition, or harm or even kill yourself or others. Examples would be the vehicle failing on you, getting an electric shock, or disabling an airbag to name a few. :)

so i decided to change my serpentine/accesory belt. i thought i'd share a little info while i was at it. my car is a california 2003 toyota camry LE 2az-fe. instructions apply to most 2az-fe fwd cars, including gen5/5.5 camry, gen 6 camry, and scion tC. i'm not sure about the 2az-fe highlander and rav4.

items needed
  • safety goggles (lol).
  • 2az-fe serpentine belt (i chose goodyear gatorback #4070763 which is around $29.99).
  • racheting socket wrench (the longer, the more leverage, the better).
  • breaker bar (optional).
  • 19mm socket (for your wrench).
  • mechanic/working gloves (optional for extra grip).
  • beverage of your own choice (keep out of engine bay of course ;) ).
step 1 - diagram
go to page 5 of the camry manual for the 5th gen and print out that page, or you can just save this portion to your computer and print it out:

^this page is necessary since it contains the pattern in which the belt should follow.

step 2 - taking out the old serpentine belt
first off, take a good look at the belt and memorize the belt routing and how all the smooth pulleys are in contact with the smooth side of the belt, and all the ribbed pulleys are in contact with the ribbed side of the belt. there are two ways to take off the belt; you can either loosen the tensioner and simply slip off the belt off the alternator pulley (the most accesible pulley imo), or you can loosen the tensioner and just cut the belt, and take the risk of the belt slapping you in the face pretty hard due cuz you wrongfully thought you gave all the slack it could ;) . use the 19mm socket wrench on the indicated bolt in the diagram and pull it clockwise towards the front of the car. this requires a bit of effort- it may seem like it's stuck, but the hydraulic tensioner is really just that hard to budge *this is where the long wrench is desired*. you'll be able to see the belt give slack when you give it enough leverege- that's when you simply yank off the belt off the alternator pulley or whatever pulley you want. pretty straightforward.
  • update
    I used an 18" breaker bar on the tensioner. I think what you have to remember is that the tensioner is hydraulic, not a spring. It doesn't move very fast since you are working against hydraulic pressure. Slow steady pressure will be enough. At least for me.
    ^good note on the tensioner and what to expect.
    Camry5genrocks said:
    Good info. For the Drive bolt, was easy to put it back?
    with the diagram, the drive bolt is supposed to be removed. i had no trouble or setbacks by not removing the drive bolt, therefore i did not include the removal/re-install of the drive bolt in my instructions. any pulley removal is an extra step that's not needed in my opinion.
    Camry5genrocks said:
    where are the drive belt tensioner and the drive bolt in the picture? is the tensioner you are talking about just below the belt?
    the drive belt tensioner is composed of a pulley, swing arm, and hydrualic shock to provide pressure on the belt. the location of the "drive bolt" is shown below, along with the actual swing arm (tensioner assembly) and the bolt you're supposed to turn (highlighted green) in order to compress the tensioner
step 3 - pre-install check
with the belt off, this is a good time to check that the alternator, water pump, and a/c compressor pulley are able to rotate freely (don't rotate too much- just check). they also shouldn't be loose or be able to wobble.

step 4 - installing the new belt
with the old belt off, you pretty much reverse step 2, starting with putting the belt around all the pulleys (according to diagram) but the alternator pulley or tensioner pulley. make sure the belt is centered on all the pulleys (except the pulley yet to be wrapped around of course), especially the sections where it's rib-to-rib. place the socket wrench back on that 19mm bolt and pull clockwise towards the front of the car once again to release the tension. don't use anything to pry the belt on any pulley, because you may bend one of the pulleys or whatnot. with enough slack, you can put the belt back on.
  • update
    touringcamry said:
    It really helps to have two people doing this because of the amount of force required to move the tensioner. You also omitted a lot of steps such as removing the front passenger wheel, wheel well liner, engine mount, and engine cover.
    another person can help by compressing the tensioner, while the installer is using two hands to position the belt. on the other hand, i managed to do it by myself in under 10 minutes, and i don't consider myself an extremely strong person. but another person significantly can help no doubt.
    as for removing the front passenger wheel, and wheel well liner, i don't think that's necessary due to the ample amount of space between the wheel well and belt/pulley system. removal of the engine mount and engine cover is definitely not necessary because it is not hindering access to the whole belt/pulley system.

step 5 - final check
check that the belt is on correctly. store all tools. consume beverage of choice. recycle.

good luck,
justanotherasian​
 
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#6 ·
touringcamry said:
It really helps to have two people doing this because of the amount of force required to move the tensioner.

You also omitted a lot of steps such as removing the front passenger whee, wheel well liner, engine mount, and engine cover.
It's not like the Gen 4.

The mount is ABOVE the belt. The belt doesn't go through it so all of that isn't necessary.



Nice write up. :thumbup:

I wonder if someone will actually ever use the search to find it? If they do, they'll be happy with what they find.
 
#51 ·
I wonder if someone will actually ever use the search to find it? If they do, they'll be happy with what they find.
Google searched for serpentine replacement DIY.. The answer to your question is YES and thank you. Probably won't become a regular poster due to fixing GF's car and was to cheap to buy a manual (Pride cometh before the fall). Great forum guys... and if you ever take a leap to the dark German side of the engineering house, pop into audiworld and say hi. Thanks.
 
#7 ·
touringcamry said:
It really helps to have two people doing this because of the amount of force required to move the tensioner.
^i guess. i did it all by myself with a racheting socket wrench from my $5 socket wrench kit from pepboys i got 2 years ago, 19mm socket, a small towel (for sweat), and bare hands just a few hours ago in the parking lot in front of autozone. i had one hand pushing the wrench towards the front of the car, and one hand jiggling the belt onto the alternator pulley. took me 10 minutes total. honestly though, it took a little sweat to get that tensioner budging. the majority of the time was spent constantly realigning the belt on the pulleys- everytime i thought i was almost done (before the final pulley of course), the belt is actually not on. not that frustrating, but it was noon high sun, pretty hot outside, and i was practically working with my face next to an oven because my engine was still hot.

another person could be a significant help by pushing on that said wrench with two hands, and someone else installing the belt with two hands. even better if you have an extremely long wrench or breaker bar for more leverage like i indicated.

touringcamry said:
You also omitted a lot of steps such as removing the front passenger whee, wheel well liner, engine mount, and engine cover
nah. i wrote it just like how i did it, if not more since i didn't have the long wrench, breaker bar, gloves, or even a beverage of choice. :lol:

removing the front passenger wheel and wheel well liner is not necessary imo (or in my case rather). i have big hands with long fingers that can span 10 inches thanks to piano, drums, and guitars since age 4- my hands fit between the wheel well and the pulley/belt system with no problem.

and removing the engine mount? eh? i'll take a look at that next time, but i have no idea how to do that, nor do i initially think it would make the job easier.

finally, removing the engine cover wouldn't make a difference at all, big hands or not. now that's fact. maybe the 2007+ gen6 covers are different? (i might need feedback on this one)


overall, i guess i'll make some changes to my original DIY- i'll include what you said as suggestions. i also forgot to give whitechocholate some cred on this cuz he sure saved me some dough.
 
#8 ·
Camry5genrocks said:
Good info. For the Drive bolt, was easy to put it back?
with the diagram, the drive bolt is supposed to be removed. i had no trouble or setbacks by not removing the drive bolt, as indicated in my instructions (or lack to say it needs to be removed).

i moved/compressed the tensioner, got the belt out, and relesed the tensioner back.
then...
i moved/compressed the tensioner, put the new belt in, a released the tensioner back.

the pulley removal is an extra step that's not really needed in my opinion.

anyways, thanks for pointing that out. i'll also add that bit in the diy.
 
#16 ·
thanks to all for the feedback btw.
TRD VVTi said:
Very nice update you did with that pic! :thumbup:

You forgot the step where you removed the transmission. :lol:
my good camera is back home along with all my tools. i didn't want to resort to my camera phone because i didn't have the DIY in mind when i notice for days that the belt would slip during cold idle. so i stole Camry5genrock's picture. i also didn't want to show off my cheapo $5.00 emergency socket wrench set i stash in my glovebox. heck, i was actually afraid the wrench was gonna break on me all of a sudden, causing me to lose balance and have my hands torn apart by random sharp edges in the engine bay. :lol:

and LOL @ transmission.
 
#18 ·
LextasyOverdose said:
^i guess. i did it all by myself with a racheting socket wrench from my $5 socket wrench kit from pepboys i got 2 years ago, 19mm socket...
I used an 18" breaker bar with a 19mm socket on the end for the tensioner.

LextasyOverdose said:
nah. i wrote it just like how i did it, if not more since i didn't have the long wrench, breaker bar, gloves, or even a beverage of choice. :lol:

removing the front passenger wheel and wheel well liner is not necessary imo (or in my case rather). i have big hands with long fingers that can span 10 inches thanks to piano, drums, and guitars since age 4- my hands fit between the wheel well and the pulley/belt system with no problem.

and removing the engine mount? eh? i'll take a look at that next time, but i have no idea how to do that, nor do i initially think it would make the job easier.

finally, removing the engine cover wouldn't make a difference at all, big hands or not. now that's fact. maybe the 2007+ gen6 covers are different? (i might need feedback on this one)
The reason I brought up the additional steps is because they are in the repair manual and was the way I did it on a 2003 model. If you are, however, able to change the belt without removing the stuff I listed, more power to you; but removing those components will give you greater access to the pulleys and allow you to use a breaker bar.
 
#19 · (Edited)
touringcamry said:
I used an 18" breaker bar with a 19mm socket on the end for the tensioner.
i gotta get one of those. i see some diys i wanna try that involve a breaker bar. lol.

touringcamry said:
The reason I brought up the additional steps is because they are in the repair manual and was the way I did it on a 2003 model.
haynes repair manual or the factory repair manuals? i had the factory repair manual in hand- if it was in the toyota factory repair manual, i probably skipped it on accident cuz i was in a rush- that squeal was getting really annoying, and it was close to snapping because it hasn't been changed at the 50 or 60 thousand mile interval (i have 80,000 miles now :ugh3: yeah shame on me). it sounded like there was a baby pig stuck in my engine bay.

touringcamry said:
If you are, however, able to change the belt without removing the stuff I listed, more power to you; but removing those components will give you greater access to the pulleys and allow you to use a breaker bar
greater access? i gotta check that out. a breaker bar would fit and work on the tensioner nut at the correct 90 degree angle with ample clearances all around the breaker bar's head. it would actually have more clearance than the fat racheting head my socket wrench has. and obviously, the passenger wheel well lining would interfere with the movement of the breaker bar, nevertheless the passenger wheel- which i acutally used to hold my cheap toolset (i was parked next to another car).

as for better access for the pulleys by removing the front passenger wheeel and wheel liner- that means getting underneath the car, which is way harder than it's supposed to be and a bit more dangerous cuz my fat head can barely make it under the bumper. i also don't have any jack stands. the supposed extra time and effort aligning the belt with the lower pulleys (crank and a/c compressor) from a standing position is offset by not having to remove the front passenger wheel, and front passenger wheel lining- both which require more than twice as more tools, more time, harder work, and of course, jack stands (which you don't typically carry around with you). add to that the danger of not properly torquing the wheel nuts right with a torque wrench (which i'm highly against), the car falling on top of you, and the possibility of losing those relatively expensive screws that hold the passenger wheel lining to the body. the haynes repair manual and the factory repair manual assume the possibility of a vehicle lift, the SST tool, and professional air compressor tools in hand, and then compensates and modifies instructions so that the bare minium, in terms of lifting devices, would be the jack and whatnot in the trunk of your car, and additional tools and devices that can get the job done, such as a jackstand, 19mm socket, breaker bar, and whatnot. in other words- the extra steps would make the job easier if i had a lift and a air compressor drill.

my method is easier overall. heck, i thought that it was easier than installing my foglights. i'm keeping in mind the people that get stranded in the highways due to a failed belt of any sort, which happened to me back in high school...

this also happens to remind me of two quotes from my trusted filipino mechanics everytime i work on a car (so tack on a filipino accent to both quotes):
"don't make a hard job harder"
and
"if you don't have to get under the car, then don't".

maybe it's just me. i've helped with engine swaps and transmission swaps- even on my old '92 es300. i've grown a small phobia against being under the car. :lol:

sorry for the long sentences. i tend to connect too many thoughts together.
 
#21 ·
^k. i checked the factory repair manual and i indeed skipped the said parts like i thought i did.

i totally see.

man... it really does assume that i'll be going under the car for better access to the lower pulleys. hell no to that. they should make a shady-tree-mechanic repair manual. LOL.

btw, i appreciate the respectul responses. i hope i wasn't on your nerves about the "extra steps".
 
#23 · (Edited)
LextasyOverdose said:
btw, i appreciate the respectul responses. i hope i wasn't on your nerves about the "extra steps".
No, absolutely not. I was just surprised that you were able to change the belt the way that you did. The previous DIYs posted on this board all followed those instructions that I mentioned.

Perhaps your experience has something to do with it. About all I've ever done are change fluids, filters, spark plugs, install stereos, and other minor things like mounting and balancing tires and such. I've only ever changed any type of belt once.
 
#25 ·
I swapped the belt today.

The instructions above helped a lot.

Basically:

1) Remove the engine mount, I think 14mm socket needed.

2) Long breaker bar, 1/2" drive. And 19mm socket for the tensioner bolt. I didn't have a 1/2" drive 19mm socket, so I had to get an adapter. It barely fit, took me a while to get it in there. If possible, use a 1/2" 19mm socket, not 3/8".

3) Push on the breaker bar towards the front of the vehicle. The longer the breaker bar, the easier it is. Mine was 2' long, but 3' long is even better if you have it. Although I suppose 18" can work.

4) Remove the belt.

5) Put the new belt on. I didn't remove the wheel or anything in that area. It took about 15 minutes of trying to route it around all the different pulleys. Starting from the bottom ones.

Tighten the breaker bar (the tensioner) again, and slip the belt on the top pulley near the front. Release the breaker bar, and you are done!

I used a Gates belt from rockauto dot . com.

P.S. the picture in the 2002-2005 Haynes manual is wrong!! I think it shows the 4th gen engine. Cannot believe these clowns.

The Factory Service Manual in electronic format helped, but I think they could have used more pictures.
 
#27 · (Edited)
P.S. the picture in the 2002-2005 Haynes manual is wrong!! I think it shows the 4th gen engine. Cannot believe these clowns.

The Factory Service Manual in electronic format helped, but I think they could have used more pictures.
:eek: i've never noticed the pics in the haynes manual. i'll keep that in mind next time i'm at pepboys or autozone reading the manuals...

and yeah, the factory service manual pics are quite... actually literally... cartoonish. i guess black & white photos would cost too much. i don't blame them.

and thanks for all the comments. hope your belt changes go smoothly. :)
 
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