What wrench should I buy to change serpentine belt on 97 cavalier?

[daveb2012]

Here I included this photo, I dont have an tension lever, I have to use the idler pulley. As shown in this diagram with the blue circle. I havent been able get a wrench to fit their I even went and rented a belt tension tool and bought a wrench set and still no luck. Im not sure what mm to get, length or any thing else? can someone tell me one that worked for them.

[daveb2012]

does any one have an idea about this I need to buy one tommorow

[mike2004tct]

Originally Posted by daveb2012

does any one have an idea about this I need to buy one tommorow

17mm , this is what I used on the blue-circled tensioner wheel, a box end/open end wrench

Buy yourself a cheap set of larger metric box/open end combo wrenches,that way you'll have one that fits. (range of 10mm to 21mm set)

[ctesla]

hey dave,
chris... we PMed about this, you said no tension adjust.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...ight=tensioner

this is a post from the Grand Ams, (for a '97 with your quad4 engine)
it might help; but are you saying the red arrow in your pic is NOT there?
that is a tensioner, and if the belt tool (that flat piece of metal about 26" in length with a 3/8" square for a socket mount will not fit in to your tight area near the frame, could you get it from inside the wheel well, if you took the passenger tire off, and peeled that soft ABS plastic dust cover out of the way?
if not, how much is the belt tool- $15? instead of rent, buy, and file or grind a little of the 3/8" head down if you only need an 1/8" more for clearance???
if tour pulley (the one with the red arrow, has that "plug-in" square hole, a ratchet, or breaker bar, or that tensioner tool will plug into it.
from your past posts, I thought you had mentioned a Quad4 motor (usually Pontiac or Olds), but your picture is the common 2.2/2.0 EcoTec forerunner from Chevy/GM, but regardless, ALL GMs use that plug, or a wrench on a center bolt to rotate that tensioner pulley assembly clockwise/counter-clockwise to allow slack in the belt system.
if yours is the "IDENTICAL" set-up as the pic, from the crank pulley, your belt immediately comes up in front of that tensioner, then around the P/S pulley....
you could start that, and get it "wrapped/routed" around everything, with the EXCEPTION of the DK BLUE PULLEY (idler), and using you belt tension bar (instead of appropriately) or a long piece of dowel, broomstick, etc.;
physically PUSH the belt AND that pulley on the tensioner, towards the lower backside of the vehicle, giving slack enough to "slip" the leftover piece of belt under your idler....
if you need assist;
call. 7A-10P central
good luck.
chris
nrt racing
---
another option, since you are in the parking lot; how far to home?
if the battery is charged, and not a lot of stop and go traffic, like late PM, when it is cool too, you could fire the car, and drive for about 5-7minutes before she started heating up.
THIS IS LAST DITCH, to get closer to home. DO NOT DO THIS IF HOT, OR TRAFFIC, OR GREAT DISTANCE! a belt is NOT worth the engine, as no belt, means no coolant!!!
I cannot begin to stress this would be as a last resort.
but even if you are a mile away from a parts store, if someone wanted to assist you for twenty bucks, to tow it, or help with the belt, would be better than driving. if you do move the car,
WATCH THE TEMP GAUGE, allow it ONLY TO NORMAL RANGE, and then SHUT DOWN AND COAST, because if the aluminum heads warp, it's over... you won't need a belt.
(and turn A/C on (it won't work, no compressor), it might activate your hi-side radiator fan.)
I STRESS AGAIN: LAST RESORT! I wouldn't do it, I'd beat that belt on!
good luck.

[mike2004tct]

Originally Posted by ctesla

hey dave,
chris... we PMed about this, you said no tension adjust.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...ight=tensioner

this is a post from the Grand Ams, (for a '97 with your quad4 engine)
it might help; but are you saying the red arrow in your pic is NOT there?
that is a tensioner, and if the belt tool (that flat piece of metal about 26" in length with a 3/8" square for a socket mount ......

The 3/8" drive on the end of a ratchet should fit in, as well as a 10mm square drice socket (.375" = 3/8", .3937 for 10mm) It has never failed from my experience.

[ctesla]

Dave
somebody just PMed me, and said where you got that pic on your post.
ClassicRockJunkie has got it on his post in the top of this Cav site, under the "IMPORTANT" column.
HE is dead right on.
disregard my previous post, and don't move the car, just get the dang belt on!!!
that idler-slash-tensioner will slide to allow enough to walk that belt on.
if you can even get it CLOSE to hanging onto all the pulleys, and maybe use a screwdriver as a pry to get the belt just one or two ribs over the lip of the alt. pulley, you might be able to "bump" the motor (crank the ignition, and quickly shut off again, allowing the belt to jump on track, but seriously, this should not be difficult, except that you are doing it on your own for the first time.
get that Cav on the road;
you get better gas mileage than me!

[daveb2012]

Thanks for all the help guys I finally got it on. I had to get my girl friend becasue I didnt have enough hands around lol. This is the wrench that finally worked for me so use this. Its by Gearwrench, its the 15mm, some said it was 13mm, 15mm and 16mm. Its definitly 15mm, and its the idler pully (blue circle in the picture. You have to pull extremely hard and start low to get the belt on. I would say I had to do about 1/3 of a rotation.

hopefully if some one with a 97 is changing serpentine belt /alternator this post will help them because I couldn't find any info on the forums about it when I searched for what type of wrench.