How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt

Unless you drive a newfangled hybrid or electric car, the AC compressor in your vehicle is driven off a belt. The belt is strapped to the engine crankshaft balancer, which turns with the engine. Older vehicles use v-belts, which typically only drive the AC compressor. Modern vehicles use serpentine belts to drive all of the engine accessories including the drive belt.

Over time, belts crack and deteriorate. Replacing the belt at the first sign of wear ensures it won’t break, leaving you without AC.

Part 1 of 3: Determine which type of belt you have

Materials Needed

  • Jack
  • Jack stands

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 2

Step 1: Locate the AC belt. The AC belt is routed over the AC compressor, which is located at the front of the engine compartment.

You may need to raise the vehicle with a jack and support it with jack stands for access.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 3

Step 2: Determine which type of belt you have. Determine which type of belt you have.

V-belts will be thin with a single rib. Serpentine belts will be multi-ribbed and much thicker.

Part 2 of 3: Remove and replace the serpentine belt

Materials Needed

  • Protective gloves
  • Repair manuals
  • Safety glasses

  • Tip: You can often get free repair manuals for your car.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 4

Step 1: Locate the serpentine belt tensioner. If you have a difficult time finding the tensioner, consult the belt routing diagram.

This can typically be found on a decal placed somewhere in the engine compartment or in the vehicle repair manual.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 5

Step 2: Rotate the tensioner. Use a socket or wrench to slide the automatic tensioner away from the belt.

Whether this is clockwise or counterclockwise depends on the vehicle and belt routing.

  • Note: Some tensioners will have a square hole to insert a ratchet end into rather than a bolt head for a socket or wrench.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 6

Step 3: Remove the belt from the pulleys. While holding the tensioner away from the belt, slide the belt off the pulleys.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 7

Step 4: Position the belt on the pulleys. Position the belt on the pulleys.

Following the belt routing diagram to ensure the belt is routed correctly.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 8

Step 5: Install the new belt. Push or pull the tensioner to a position that allows the belt to be installed onto the pulleys.

Once the belt is in place, you can release the tensioner and remove your tool.

Part 3 of 3: Remove and replace the v-belt belt

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 9

Step 1: Locate and loosen the compressor pivot. The compressor on older vehicles will generally have a pivot bracket.

Loosen and/or remove the pivot bolts. Then, push the compressor away from the belt.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 10

  • Note: Some compressors use an idler wheel tensioner. In this case, instead of loosening pivot bolts, you’ll loosen the locknut on the idler adjusting screw. Then, turn the adjuster until the belt is loose enough to be removed.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 11

Step 2: Remove the belt. Remove the belt by sliding it off of the pulleys.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 12

Step 3: Install the new belt. Install the new belt by correctly positioning it in the pulley grooves.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 13

Step 4: Adjust the belt. Push the compressor back into its original position so that the pivot bolts and holes line up.

Put enough pressure on the compressor so that the belt is snug but not too tight. In order to achieve this, you may need to use a pry bar to put tension on the compressor and hold it in place while you tighten down the pivot bolts.

  • Note: If your compressor uses an idler wheel tensioner, tighten the belt until it's snug using the adjuster, then tighten down the locknut.

How to Replace an Air Conditioning Belt 14

Step 5: Check the belt tension. Once the new belt is installed, you’ll want to check the belt tension.

To do that, push down on the longest length of the belt - there should be about ½” of deflection. If not, loosen the belt and readjust as outlined in the previous step.

That’s it! Now you don’t have to worry about losing your AC on a hot day due to a failed belt. You can crank the AC up and enjoy. If, after reading this, replacing your belt sounds like something you’d rather leave to the pros, let the team at YourMechanic perform a replacement for you.


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Recent Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement reviews

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61
5,654
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Robert

21 years of experience
1307 reviews
Robert
21 years of experience
Pontiac Grand Am V6-3.4L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Wheat Ridge, Colorado
My Mechanic was respectful and I enjoyed talking with him and he explained what he was going to do. He also told me what little things I needed to do.
Mini Cooper - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Denver, Colorado
Robert was very patient and allowed us to get the right part after we purchased the wrong one. Thanks so much!

Lavell

29 years of experience
405 reviews
Lavell
29 years of experience
Toyota Matrix L4-1.8L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Alameda, California
Lavell was amazing! Great communication and expertise. Quick service with detailed explanation. All done with care and professionalism.
Chevrolet Sonic - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Lafayette, California
Lavell is absolutely wonderful. Very knowledgeable and very quick! I love his transparency when diagnosing car problems. I appreciate all of the help, thank you, Lavell!

Raymond

38 years of experience
613 reviews
Raymond
38 years of experience
Nissan Versa Note L4-1.6L - Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement - Henderson, Nevada
Raymond is super awesome and fixed the belt on our car super fast and was super nice I would definitely hire him again.

Andrew

16 years of experience
657 reviews
Andrew
16 years of experience
Ford Taurus V6-3.0L - Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement - Portland, Oregon
Andrew was very nice and pleasant. He was very thorough with his work and he really went out of his way to get my car running again. He was very knowledgeable and he was kind enough to answer all of my questions in a way that I could easily understand. This was one of the best experiences I have had working with a mechanic.

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