Replacing a drive belt how to remove and replace
How to remove the serpentine belt on a 2004 optra 2.0L:
I did this yesterday in my driveway, and it is quite easy if you are handy, you don't need to be a mechanic.
What you need: A 15mm wrench, a 10mm socket, a new serpentine belt, a flathead screwdriver.
You must draw yourself a diagram of the belts and pulleys before you remove anything. Once you remove the belt, you have to put it back the same way so a diagram always helps.
1. Remove your air filter housing by removing the 10mm bolt located at the back of the air filter housing, and pull the housing upward with some force.
2. Loosen the clamp that is holding the air filter housing to the air hose. Remove the hose.
3. Place your air filter housing aside so it is not in the way. Retrieve a 15mm wrench (socket wrench will not fit). The longer the wrench the better. If you have a short wrench, you will probably need a pipe that fits around your wrench, or another wrench to use as leverage to gain more strength.
4. Place your 15mm wrench on the belt tensioner. On the Optra, the tensioner is the middle pulley (probably the smallest), and place your pipe or other wrench as leverage on top of your 15mm wrench.
5. Turn the 15mm wrench Clockwise as if tightening the bolt. The bolt will be difficult to turn, but even freeing it a little but loosens the tension, and you can pull your belt off of the top pulley.
6. Once you take your belt off of the top pulley, you can slowly release your grip of the 15mm bolt, careful not to injure yourself as it is spring loaded, therefore it has high tension and will try to swing back into place if you just let go, you have to let it roll back in a controlled manor.
7. After you let the tensioner roll back into place, remove the wrench and remove the rest of the belt.
8. Compare your new belt to your old belt, making sure that they are the same. There are two types of serpentine belts for your Optra, one that is "factory installed A/C" and another that is "dealer installed A/C". If your parts supplier has both in stock and you are not sure, get both and return the wrong one later to save you time.
9. Put the new belt on, starting at the lower pulleys, then move your way towards the upper pulleys. Leave the top left pulley for last. After the belt is on all the other pulleys, place your 15mm wrench back on the tensioner and release the tension by pulling it clockwise. Place the last part of the belt on the upper left pulley. Release the tensioner slowly.
10. Make sure the belt ribs are on all the pulleys evenly and correctly, so that your belt doesn't slip off of the pulleys when you start up the car.
11. Put the air filter housing back on, bolt it with the 10mm bolt, and attach your air hose and tigten the clamp. Check the belt one last time making sure it has tension, and is set correctly on all the pulleys.
12. Fire up your Optra and listen to it purr. If everything is ok, you did a good job!
Please post this on other sites to help people, as finding help for servicing 2004 Chevrolet Optra's is difficult!
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