DavidBo
10-12-2008, 03:58 PM
Finally got around to changing the belt on the wife's trusty Vue. You know the drill... pull right front wheel and plastic splash guard. The hard part is releasing the tension because there is very little clearance between the tensioner and frame and your average 3/8 drive ratchet won't fit. Fortunately my local parts store had a the right tool available for loan so I thought I was good to go. Unfortunately the tool was so long there was no way I could get it to line up with the square hole without clearance issues. I could have cut the thing in half but I kinda wanted my deposit back. After a little brainstorming I found that I could put one end of my jack handle against the pulley end of the tensioner and get a straight shot down to the floor jack. A few careful pumps of the jack lever without the handle raised the tensioner perfectly. A few minutes later and the new belt was in position. I released the jack and all was well. Just be sure the car is on good jackstands and go easy on the tensioner. I'd always try more conventional methods first and use this as a last resort as there are risks involved. Good luck!