I am about to replace a water pump on an 04 prius for a friend and I figured I would replace the serpentine belt while I am at it. I found these instructions here on the board and wanted some clarification...... How do I apply 22lb of force on the belt midway? I have a torque wrench and can easily do the tension pulley but how do I figure out .4 inches of deflection on the belt before tightening the pulley?
Would this need one of those spring tension scales, similar to a hanging scale used to weigh large fish? Those figures also look like round metric numbers. 22 pounds = 10 kilograms (or more properly, about 100 newtons, as kilograms are not force). 0.4" = 1 cm.
It's not necessary to be really precise with this. Use your thumb and apply pressure on the belt, as much as you think a 22 lb weight would produce.
You don't need to take off all the engine cover stuff. Pull the intake snorkel and disconnect the black/white ground wire to get a little more working room, but you can do all the rest from the top. My *original* belt was still looking fine at 110K but I changed it to the new one I'd had kicking around for a long time and now the old one is a spare, I guess. . _H*
Does this method also work for an 05? I talked briefly to a mechanic friend of mine and he said that there is a big difference between the 04s and the 05s. thanks, new to the forum
Model years 2004 to 2009 have the same drivetrain and use the same procedures for service. Even if you had a Classic (2001 - 2003) the procedure to replace the serpentine belt is essentially the same but the belt is longer because it has to spin the air conditioner compressor pulley.
