I've googled and searched the forum but can't seem to find a post on how to change the serpentine belt on a 2010 honda fit. Can anyone help out? I know it seems fairly simple but want to make sure there are no gotchas.

Thanks in advance.

 

It might be a bit tricky at first depending on you experience,tools and arm size(there not much room to work)

you can use a ratchet on the belt tensioner pulley then pry on it to release the pressure (there is a special tool for this as well)

while doing that you will be able to pull the belt off and replace it

I would recommend trying to take pictures or getting a diagram showing how it is supposed to fit, also using a high quality replacement so you don't have to do the job again for a while

I think i ended up putting mine on from underneath since i had the car lifted and removed the splash shield

 

Yes, replacing the belt has to be done from underneath the car and splash shield needs to be partially removed. There is not enough room from the top side to access the auto tensioner bolt that needs to be used to release tension on the belt. Definitely make a sketch of the belt routing or look online for the routing of the belt. Easy to get this wrong if you are not careful. I used a Honda OEM belt and it was a very tight fit. As mentioned you will need a long breaker bar or a serpentine belt removal tool to get the proper leverage . You can rent these at some auto parts stores. I rented one from Auto Zone when I replaced my belt.

 

Does anyone know when Honda recommends replacing the Serpentine Belt?


I agree that it appears to be a beast to replace.

 

I don't recall seeing a mileage interval for the belt. There's a wear indicator marker on the auto tensioner. If the marker is out of range definitely replace the belt. I replaced mine around 80k miles and it was still within wear limits. More of a preventive maintenance thing for me. Belt should easily go 100k with all that said unless you live in an extreme heat or cold area of the country.

 

Okay, thank you. I've got 60K Miles on mine, so should be good to go for a while longer.

 

Do not rely too much on the wear indicator because with time the rubber tears.

 

I put 120k on mine and there was still some wear left on it.

 

Wow, what a "booger" to replace the serpentine belt on my 2010! Took me a long time to get the belt on and in retrospect, the next time I change that belt (in another 100K) I'll rent a wrench from O'Reilly or Autozone. Whew!

 

What wrench you suggest?

 

I did a search on Google and one of the places it took me was to Amazon. They sell this and it looks like it's pretty universal. Of course, you have to make sure the wrench size fits the bolt you're taking off or loosening.

 

Hmm.... 13, 15, 16, 18mm Sockets... ours is 19mm IIRC, and sockets won't fit. A wrench extender might be better.

 

What bolt are you loosen/taking off?

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/search...%20belt%20tool

accepts any 3/8" socket

or any crowfoot wrench will fit on the bar also.

 

I have that. There’s not room enough for a socket. I had to go with a long wrench.

the trouble with this job isn’t turning the tensioner, it’s getting the belt on all the pulleys. Not much room and you need to access from below and turn the tensioner from above!

 

Here is the pic I made to help me and my maintenance entry when I did it (changed it from the top):
-->10/27/2018 Installed the serpentine belt (Bando 5PK1140 from amazon, made in usa, though I thought it a japan part). Total pain. Used a 19 mm wrench to loosen the belt tensioner and slip it off the alternator. It took a lot of force to loosen the tensioner and it was tough to get enough leverage with a relatively short 19mm thinner wrench. A socket would not fit. I figured out how the new belt went on easy enough, though took some cuts to the hand to fit in there. Light was a constant problem also, with no room to put the light and work. Head lamp may have helped here, but it would have to be bright, not a cheap one. I just about had the belt the first time, then I just didn't have enough room with the alternator and that wrench was really hard to move and hold in place. The ratchet strap the person on the forums used would have helped, but it would have also made it harder to move around. So the entire belt fell off and I had to start from square one. Was really careful the second time and got it after some shenanigans with the alternator and under it with the weird way the belt twists around. The old belt was all brown and thinner than the new one. It wasn't as stretchy with some sort of dry rot. It didn't appear to have any fraying though. My guess is it isn't the factory belt, but it could have been. I would say it is at least 10 to 20 thousand miles old. 99k miles seems unlikely, but I don't know.

 

@SiXiam: Thanks for posting this info.

 

You are welcome. Only thing I can add is check your water cooler weep hole when it is off and also see if all the rollers spin correctly. The last part I forgot to do. Whoops.

 

I was browsing amazon for a cheater bar a.k.a. wrench extender, but i'm not sure which to buy. For those who have replaced their belts, which would you recommend?

24" long, USD 100

16" long, USD 22

or maybe an universal adaptor, USD 50?

Or something else? Which would you buy?

 

thanks for this great post.
will be doing mine when weather warms up.
looks like easier to remove and replace from under the car