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Pontiac Tempest Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement at your home or office.

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Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

How much does a Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Pontiac Tempest Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement is $179 with $39 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1990 Pontiac TempestL4-2.2LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$259.64Shop/Dealer Price$289.40 - $370.58
1990 Pontiac TempestV6-3.1LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$243.23Shop/Dealer Price$269.37 - $343.68
1991 Pontiac TempestL4-2.2LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$223.13Shop/Dealer Price$244.27 - $303.52
1991 Pontiac TempestV6-3.1LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$243.23Shop/Dealer Price$269.40 - $343.72
Show example Pontiac Tempest 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.

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Number of Pontiac Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement services completed
1001+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Pontiac MECHANICS
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Meet some of our expert Pontiac mechanics

Real customer reviews from Pontiac owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(91)
Rating Summary
86
2
0
1
2
86
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Chris

23 years of experience
2372 reviews
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Chris
23 years of experience
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by Harald
Pontiac Tempest V8-5.3L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Laguna Niguel, California
Chris did a great job inspecting the vehicle, I live in GA and wanted to purchase a car in CA so I needed an unbiased third party to look at it for me. My primary concern was that the car was represented accurately in the online ad (there are a lot of scams online now), which he did, we had a great conversation after the inspection which did a lot to comfort my concerns. This was a "project" car and needed to be evaluated accordingly, it was something that I had planned on doing a restoration on so I knew it needed some work. My only critique is that when the car was delivered there was a little more rust than I had expected, I wish that he had pointed that out, I accept some of the responsibility for not asking enough questions during our conversation. Overall I am extremely happy with the inspection service and would highly recommend Chris .

H

27 years of experience
828 reviews
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H
27 years of experience
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by John
Pontiac Tempest L6-3.8L - Brakes, Steering and Suspension Inspection - Los Altos, California
On time. A true gentleman. Skilled with cars that date over many years. He knows older cars including many classics. Younger mechanics probably would know know a thing about a 4BBL Carburetor. One can see that he has a true love of cars & the work he does. This is only one experience so I would hope to see him back when needed.

Bruce

16 years of experience
5 reviews
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Bruce
16 years of experience
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by Katie
Pontiac Vibe L4-1.8L - Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement - Columbus, Ohio
My car needed a new serpentine belt. Bruce came to my house and did the needed repair, as well as an inspection for any other issues. Really appreciate the ease of scheduling online, with the repair performed at the scheduled time, for the price quoted.

Sedat

21 years of experience
19 reviews
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Sedat
21 years of experience
Request Sedat
by Bryan
Pontiac Grand Prix V6-3.8L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Grand Prairie, Texas
tech called before arrival, explained everything, fixed everything.... Have to admit; I was skeptical, while looking for a mechanic..... Not anymore.... If I ever need a mechanic again,I will only want Sedat !!!!!! Your # is on SPEED DIAL.....Thanks

Excellent Rating

(91)
Rating Summary
86
2
0
1
2
86
2
0
1
2
Number of Pontiac Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement services completed
1001+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Pontiac MECHANICS
800+
experts on our platform
Yourmechanic was featured in

New York Times NBC CBS Forbes INC Tech Crunch

Learn more about us

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