Replace serpentine belt on 03 Saturn ion ? how do i release tensioner and where is it located

my first thought would be the squealing serpentine belt or could be brake pads. Combining squeal and stall from stopped position maybe you have a bearing going out on something the serpentine belt runs on. example if belt tensioner or A/C clutch bearing going bad could cause drag on serpentine belt. If a bearing is going bad you may be able to hear it under the hood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEUe6uKxTv8

there is a little stick man illustration sticker under the hood showing how to release belt tension by moving the tensioner arm. if the serpentine belt is still on the lower pulley then put the belt on everything except the tensioner, then move the tensioner arm as needed, put the belt in there and release the tensioner arm. most likely going to need two people to do this.

if the belt has come off the lower pulley then you are going to have to remove the service panel behind the right front wheel and put the belt back on lower pulley, then do as above described. this would be a great time to put a new tensioner, a new serpentine belt, and a new "dog bone" motor mount on as it will all be right there to work on with that service panel out.

Use a tensioner pulley kit (or a 1/2" breaker bar if equipped with a 1/2" square hole) to release tension on the belt by rotating the tensioner until tension is released on the belt. properly.

Some tensioners don't have a square hole to put a breaker bar, but must be turned at the pulley's stationary hex bolt.

Good luck on replacing the serpentine belt.

the tensioner sits about mid block on the passenger side. to replace it, you need to take off the right front wheel and remove the plastic service panel. these go bad and they are replaced, not repaired. relieve tension by putting a long open/box wrench on the tensioner and take off the serpentine belt. remove two bolts, take off the tensioner and put a new one in its place. they cost less than 50 bucks. might want to replace the belt while you are at it. put the same long wrench back on the tensioner, move it back, put the belt on, release the tensioner, put the wheel back on and you are in business. i am sure there are videos of this over on youtube.

You don't need a belt diagram. Just thread the belt with the back 'smooth' part to the smooth pulleys, and the 'grooved' part of the belt to the grooved pulleys until the last pulley you have is the tensioner pulley that is turned using a breaker bar in most cases.

you have a belt tensioner that you have to release to get belt off. you can get tool cheap from canidian tire or part souce

Click on the following free, direct Link. It has all the Serpentine Belt Diagrams you will need for the 1.9L 4-Cylinder Engine and various Engine Options (AC/No AC etc.), complete with Instructional and Directional Diagrams.

http://www.2carpros.com/car_repair_information/year/1996/make/saturn/model/sl/1996_saturn_sl_drive_belt_routing_diagram.htm

Let me know if this helped or if you have additional information or questions. Feel Free to contact me at FixYa.com!

"HOW TO":
Standard Rules to Removal the Serpentine Belt with an Automatic Tensioner:
1. Find the Tensioner(s). (See Diagrams on Link)
2. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool, Or Wrench OR Ratchet, Rotate/Move the Tensioner USING THE AVAILABLE NUT (on the Pulley or Arm Base) OR the OPENING (3/8ths or 1/2 inch square opening) rotating the Tensioner Pulley/Arm - moving it away from contact with the belt and towards the area where the belt is not in contact with the Tensioner Pulley. The Tensioner is spring loaded, and is hard to rotate/move.
3. Remove the loosened belt off one of the other more easily accessed Pulleys.
4. DO NOT quickly release the Tensioner, but gently allow the Tensioner to rest in its closed position.

Standard Rules for Installing the Serpentine Belt with an Automatic Tensioner:
a. Pick a Pulley that is most easily accessed. This will usually be on top. This will be the last Pulley that the belt will go on.
b. Using the Diagram: Install the new Serpentine Belt on the remainder of the Pulleys....over, under, left right.
c. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool or Wrench or Ratchet Tool: Rotate/Move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm "away" from Belt contact area on the Tensioner. This spring is pretty hard and with a new belt, it will be even harder to install. Rotate/Move this to as-close to the maximum allowed inorder to have enough slack in the belt to get it up and over the last pulley.
d. Using your other hand - Pull the Belt up and over the Last remaining Pulley.
e. Before releasing the pressure on the Tensioner, visually inspect the remainder Pulleys and the Belts' Positioning on them.

Tighten
Tighten the timing belt tensioner fastening nut to 20 N·m (15 lb ft).

Verify the timing marks are still aligned.

Remove the J42069-10 and J42069-20.

Install the timing belt front cover. Refer to Timing Belt Cover Replacement-Front.

Connect the negative battery cable.Tighten
Tighten the battery terminal bolts to 17 N·m (13 lb ft)

click on this link directly to get detailed instructions on how to set timing on Saturn Ion Car http://whoisbyme.blogspot.com/2010/03/saturn-ion-cars-trucks-timing-belt-20-l.html ------------ This will help. Thanks please keep updated.please do rate the solution positively .thank you for using fixya

Click on the following direct Link. It has the Serpentine Belt Diagram for the L-Series for your specific engine and options (AC/No AC etc.). It has other additonal diagrams for your future use. It also has diagrams on how to rotate/move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm to loosen and remove the Belt.

Standard Rules to Removal the Serpentine Belt:
1. Find the Tensioner(s). (See Diagrams on Link)
2. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool, Or Wrench OR Ratchet, Rotate/Move the Tensioner USING THE AVAILABLE NUT OR OPENING (3/8ths or 1/2 inch square opening) rotating it\moving it away from contact with the belt and towards the area where the belt is not in contact with the Tensioner Pulley. The Tensioner is spring loaded, and is hard to rotate/move.
3. Remove the loosened belt off one of the other more easily accessed Pulleys.

Standard Rules for Installing the Serpentine Belt:
a. Pick a Pulley that is most easily accessed. This will usually be on top. This will be the last Pulley that the belt will go on.
b. Using the Diagram: Install the new Serpentine Belt on the remainder of the Pulleys....over, under, left right.
c. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool or Wrench or Ratchet Tool: Rotate/Move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm "away" from Belt contact area on the Tensioner. This spring is pretty hard and with a new belt, it will be even harder to install. Rotate/Move this to as-close to the maximum allowed inorder to have enough slack in the belt to get it up and over the last pulley.
d. Using your other hand - Pull the Belt up and over the Last remaining Pulley.
e. Before releasing the pressure on the Tensioner, visually inspect the remainder Pulleys and the Belts' Positioning on them.

Let me know if this helped, or if you have additional information or questions. Feel Free to contact me at FixYa.com!

http://www.2carpros.com/car_repair_information/year/2000/make/saturn/model/ls/2000_saturn_ls_drive_belt_routing_diagram.htm

Yes! It is a whole lot easier and faster to take off the passenger tire. Remove plastic cover with speed pins. It is a lot easier to get to the belt tensioner to release belt tension also.Just put a 14mm wrench or 9/16" wrench on the tensioner at the 4:00 o'clock position and push down the belt will be easy to remove and reverse this to install the new one GOOG LUCK *****badgto1NJ