How to Install a Serpentine Belt on a 2002 Cadillac Seville
by Russell Wood
The Cadillac Seville comes standard with a 4.6l V8 engine, which works like a traditional GM V8 engine, with front-mounted accessories. These accessories are powered by a serpentine belt, which turns them as the engine turns. This is obviously very important to keep in good shape, otherwise, you'll lose power to all of your systems. In this case, the project vehicle is a 2002 Cadillac Seville STS, but the process is similar for other vehicles as well.
Step 1
Pop the hood and locate the sticker on the core support (or in the owner's manual, which shows the belt routing diagram). Make sure you have the manual in front of you, because you'll need it when you put the belt back on. Locate the tensioner, which is just below the top pulley, and has a square drive hole at the end of it.
Step 2
Insert the 1/2-inch breaker bar into the square hole on the tensioner. Pull the tensioner clockwise to release tension on the belt, then slip the belt away from all of the pulleys.
Step 3
Slide the replacement belt over the power steering pump pulley at the top of the engine. Then route it down and around the generator, air conditioning compressor, and idler pulley--as far as you can get the belt around the system until it tightens up too much. Make sure to refer to the manual or sticker for proper routing as well.
Step 4
Insert the 1/2-inch breaker bar into the square hole on the tensioner. Pull the tensioner clockwise to release tension on the belt, then slip the belt away from all of the pulleys. Route the belt behind the tensioner, and after you release it to tighten the belt, check to make sure the belt isn't kinked or twisted. If it is, pull the tensioner away to fix the problem.
Things You'll Need
- 1/2-inch breaker bar
- Replacement belt
Writer Bio
Russell Wood is a writer and photographer who attended Arizona State University. He has been building custom cars and trucks since 1994, including several cover vehicles. In 2000 Wood started a career as a writer, and since then he has dedicated his business to writing and photographing cars and trucks, as well as helping people learn more about how vehicles work.
