Chrysler
Serpentine Belt Misalignment
Inclement
winter weather brings with it a whole new set of problems for automotive
repair technicians to solve every new model year. Just when you think
you have seen it all, vehicles continue to roll into your service drive
with yet another strange idiosyncrasy. Oh well…job security.
You may have a 1996 - 1999 Town & Country, Caravan, or Voyager equipped
with a 3.3L or 3.8L engine towed into your shop experiencing a loss
of all belt-driven accessories after driving through deep snow or standing
water. Snow or rain can enter the engine compartment from underneath
the vehicle and force the serpentine belt off of the idler pulley.
But
what is the root cause of this problem? An incorrect idler pulley bracket
is causing a slight misalignment of the serpentine belt. The introduction
of snow or water will cause the belt to leave the farm faster than a
lovesick bull.
Barnyard
references aside, the following diagnostic procedure will help verify
if the pulley bracket needs to be replaced.
|
|
Diagnosis
NOTE:
If the serpentine belt is off the pulleys, install it before proceeding.
|
| 1.
Visually inspect the serpentine belt and idler pulley to determine
it misalignment exists. |
| 2.
Start the engine and let it run for one minute before checking alignment.
(The belt should be approximately 2mm (0.08 in.) from the inboard
edge of the idler pulley (Figure 1), when alignment is correct.) |
| 3.
After visually confirming the misalignment as shown in Figure 2,
perform the subsequent 16-step Repair Procedure. |
| Repair |
| 1.
Remove the serpentine belt from around the idler pulley by rotating
the tensioner clockwise (Figure 3). |
| 2.
Remove the purge duty cycle solenoid and wiring harness from the
right side engine mount. |
| 3.
Remove the two right side engine mount insulator vertical fasteners
and loosen the horizontal fastener (Figure 4). (DO NOT remove
the large nut in the center of the core of the insulator.) |
| 4.
Remove the load on the engine mount by carefully supporting the
engine with a floor jack. |
| 5. Remove
the vertical and horizontal fasteners from the engine side bracket. |
| 6. Remove
the engine mount assembly. |
| 7. Remove
the idler pulley from the engine mount bracket. (Figure 3). |
| 8. Remove
the engine mount bracket. |
| 9. Install
a new engine mount bracket. (Part # 04612412) Torque the fasteners
to 40-68 Nm (30-50 ft lbs.). |
| 10.
Install the idler pulley to the engine mount bracket. Torque the
fastener to 40-68 Nm (30-50 ft lbs.) |
| 11.
Properly route and position the serpentine belt (Part # 04861322)
onto all pulleys except the idler pulley (Use a new belt if there
is any evidence of damage to the original one). |
| 12.
Rotate the belt tensioner clockwise until the belt can be installed
onto the idler pulley. Slowly release the belt tensioner. |
| 13.
Install the engine mount; torque the assembly in the following order,
engine mount to rail fasteners 68 Nm (50 ft. lbs.), vertical fastener
102 Nm (75 ft. lbs.) and horizontal fastener 150 Nm (111 ft. lbs.). |
| 14.
Install the purge duty cycle solenoid to the engine mount. |
| 15.
Start the vehicle and let it run for one minute then turn the engine
off. |
| 16.
Verify the serpentine belt is properly aligned (Figure 1). |
That
is all there is to it…a simple resolution to a possible wintertime
related breakdown. It might be a good idea to also check these vehicles
for proper pulley alignment anytime they're in the shop for routine
maintenance or other repairs. Your customers will be glad you did.
