Chevrolet R3500 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement at your home or office.

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(445)

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Customer Ratings

(445)

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

How much does a Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Chevrolet R3500 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement is $163 with $23 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1991 Chevrolet R3500V8-7.4LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$295.80Shop/Dealer Price$334.60 - $442.90
1991 Chevrolet R3500V8-6.2L DieselService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$367.91Shop/Dealer Price$425.22 - $593.04
1990 Chevrolet R3500V8-6.2L DieselService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$367.91Shop/Dealer Price$425.25 - $593.08
1990 Chevrolet R3500V8-7.4LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$286.79Shop/Dealer Price$323.85 - $430.84
1990 Chevrolet R3500V8-5.7LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$284.61Shop/Dealer Price$322.60 - $429.06
1991 Chevrolet R3500V8-5.7LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$284.61Shop/Dealer Price$321.26 - $426.73
Show example Chevrolet R3500 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement prices

What is a serpentine belt and how does it work?

A serpentine belt is a relatively long, flat, multi-ribbed belt that is driven by the engine’s crankshaft pulley. The belt drives many, and often all, of the engine accessories such as the alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, water pump, and air pump. The serpentine belt is tensioned by a hydraulic or spring-loaded automatic tensioner. Some older cars use a serpentine belt to drive most accessories but will also have a shorter v-style belt to drive, for example, the power steering pump.

Belts

When to consider replacing the serpentine belt:

  • Regularly scheduled maintenance. Typically, belt manufacturers recommend belt replacement at 90,000 miles. However, the belt must be inspected for wear or damage at regular intervals prior to this high mileage.
  • Squealing noise, belt slippage, visible belt damage. Should the belt fail or wear out prematurely, you may hear noise or you may see visible signs of deterioration such as missing chunks of rubber, excessive cracking, or a shredded appearance on the edge of the belt.
  • Battery Light. A loose belt, perhaps caused by a defective tensioner, may not drive the alternator at adequate speed and thus the battery may discharge, causing the warning light to illuminate.
  • Engine overheating. Often, the serpentine belt drives the water pump. In those applications, if the belt breaks the engine will overheat in seconds to minutes. If the belt is inadequately tensioned, you may notice higher-than-normal engine operating temperature.

How do mechanics replace the serpentine belt?

  • Prior to removing the belt, the mechanic must run the engine to determine if the idler pulley and the belt tensioner are noise-free. Those rotating components have grease filled bearings and are subject to wear. In addition, the mechanic will ensure that all pulleys and accessories are turning in the same plane. These steps help make sure your new belt will operate trouble-free for its full-service life.
  • The belt’s routing path through the various components is noted. The belt tensioner is released, usually with a wrench or lever, to release the tension from the belt. With the tension off, the belt slides off the pulleys.
  • All rotating components — that is the alternator, air conditioner compressor, etc. — are checked for smooth operation and no noise.
  • If everything checks out, the new belt is slipped over all of the pulleys while holding the tensioner away from the belt. Once the belt is centered on all pulleys, the tensioner is released and the installation is complete. The engine is run to ensure normal operation.

Is it safe to drive with a serpentine belt problem?

No. Should the belt have visible damage, you risk unexpected and sudden breakage that could potentially leave you stranded. Serpentine belt problems that result in the alternator not charging may cause the battery to discharge, which will result in loss of electrical power to the vehicle. Additionally, if a deteriorated belt breaks and that belt drives the water pump, the engine will overheat in a matter of seconds.

When replacing the serpentine belt keep in mind:

  • On many cars, the expected service life of a serpentine belt is around 90,000 miles. Should the belt fail well prior to that, a very careful inspection should be performed to check for out-of-alignment pulleys, a possibly out-of-position crankshaft harmonic balancer on which the drive pulley is mounted, binding pulleys, or a defective belt tensioner.
  • Attention should always be given to serpentine belt routing, since proper routing is critical to proper belt tension, and function of the driven components.
  • Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish serpentine belt related noise from other engine noises. In these cases, a mechanic will determine the origin of the noise by momentarily running the engine without the serpentine belt attached.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Chevrolet mechanics

Real customer reviews from Chevrolet owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(445)

Rating Summary
425
13
1
2
4
425
13
1
2
4

Trevor

23 years of experience
185 reviews
Trevor
23 years of experience
Chevrolet Corvette V8-6.2L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - San Marcos, California
Trevor was very nice as always and very helpful and i have used him several times for all of my cars

Chris

16 years of experience
112 reviews
Chris
16 years of experience
Chevrolet Traverse V6-3.6L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Wesley Chapel, Florida
This was my first time using your mechanic and Chris made our experience perfect! He was very professional and got straight to it and answered every question we had. Thank you, Chris!

Quentin

15 years of experience
9 reviews
Quentin
15 years of experience
Chevrolet Impala V8-5.3L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Dayton, Ohio
Excellent service

David

16 years of experience
93 reviews
David
16 years of experience
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 V6-4.3L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Concord, California
Great job Very professional Thank you

Excellent Rating

(445)

Rating Summary
425
13
1
2
4
425
13
1
2
4
Number of Chevrolet Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement services completed
4895+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Chevrolet MECHANICS
1700+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

P2219 OBD-II Trouble Code: NOx Sensor Heater Control Circuit Low Bank 2
P2219 code means there is an abnormal reading within the NOx sensor circuit voltage often due too faulty fuel usage or defective sensors.
P2050 OBD-II Trouble Code: Reductant Injector Circuit/Open Bank 2 Unit 1
P2050 P2050 code definition The P2050 OBD-II fault code indicates the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) has detected an issue in the reductant injector air pressure sensor circuit. The reductant injector is a component which reduces toxic emissions from the catalytic...
P0698 OBD-II Trouble Code: Sensor Reference Voltage “C” Circuit Low
P0698 means there is an irregular voltage level or connectivity problem relating to the electrical circuitry due to faulty wiring or connections.

SUV jerks while driving, braking, and accelerating

You may have an issue with your catalytic converter (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-catalytic-converter) not allowing the flow of exhaust that is necessary to maintain a good running engine. If you had a tune up done recently then your ignition system should be working...

2012 GMC Sierra 2500HD No Blend Door Working

Hello, you are going to need a diagnostic chart for this type of issues. The chart gives you a process to a path of repair or replacement for each code. When you have many system codes (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-read-and-understand-check-engine-light-codes-by-jason-unrau) you would first...

How can I tell if I need new windshield wiper blades

You can tell if your vehicle needs wiper blades by first doing a physical inspection to look for torn or hard rubber on the blade. Then when wiping window if you get excessive noise or not cleaning water from windshield...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com