How to Install a Drive Belt on a 5.9L Cummins
by Allen Moore
The 5.9L Cummins diesel engine has been used in many Dodge trucks. The 5.9L uses a serpentine drive belt to convey torque from the crankshaft to the engine accessories in order to power them. The single belt winds its way around all the pulleys in a snake-like fashion, hence the name. A variety of factors including year, model and options when determining the exact belt routing for your 5.9L, so make sure you adhere to the specific routing diagram on your Dodge's fan shroud. Anyone with good mechanical repair skill can install a drive belt on a 5.9L Cummins engine.
Step 1
Open the Dodge's hood by hand. Wrap the serpentine belt around the lower half of the 5.9L's crankshaft pulley by hand.
Step 2
Guide the belt up and around each pulley in the engine accessory system, strictly following the belt routing diagram to ascertain the routing order and path of the belt. Leave the serpentine belt tensioner pulley for last. There are many ways the belt can route, but only one proper way; misrouting the belt can lead to severe engine damage and personal injury.
Step 3
Connect the serpentine belt tool to the face of the serpentine belt tensioner on the 5.9L Cummins engine. Move the tensioner out of the belt path by rotating it clockwise with the serpentine belt tool.
Step 4
Slip the belt over the belt tensioner pulley with your free hand before carefully rotating the serpentine belt tensioner back into place.
Step 5
Remove the serpentine belt tool from the 5.9L's serpentine belt tensioner by hand. Close the Dodge's hood.
References
Things You'll Need
- Serpentine belt tool
Writer Bio
Allen Moore's career includes awards in poetry and creative fiction, published lyrics, fiction books and nonfiction articles as well as a master certification in automotive service from the Ford Motor Company. Moore is a contributing writer for RF365.com and various other websites, a ghostwriter for Rainbow Writing and has over a dozen works of fiction currently in print.
