S210 (2.8) fitting new Serpentine belt

[welland99]

I've been thinking of fitting a new Serpentine belt to my S210 (2.8) for ages, but keep putting it off (never done one before).

Apart from forgetting the correct routing for the new belt - are there any common pit falls I should try to avoid?

Does the belt have to travel in the correct direction, or is it universal?

I gather that the tensioner pulley is automatic, so i don't have to set it correctly. is this correct?

And is it correct that i don't actually have to undo anything, just release tension by applying leverage in the correct direction? How can i tell which pulley is the tensioner pulley, and where to apply the leverage?

 

[jay1983]

The tensioner is spring loaded so you can't go wrong there. Draw a diagram of the belt route before you remove the old 1. This is definitely a DIY job. I've had mine on and off numerous times whilst doing bits and pieces.

 

[Mickybo]

might be worth replacing the spring loaded tensioner at the same time as they aren't that expensive and then you have the peace of mind that it is done.

 

[welland99]

The tensioner is spring loaded so you can't go wrong there. Draw a diagram of the belt route before you remove the old 1. This is definitely a DIY job. I've had mine on and off numerous times whilst doing bits and pieces.

Thanks a lot for your advice. i did the job this afternoon. It took longer thinking about it than actually doing it.