98 Grand Am Belt

[COZMO354]

I need to change this belt, but I do not see any bolts for tension losening and tightening. How hard is this one to get to and complete?

[Tom94gaGT]

its pretty difficult, you will end up having to remove the engine mount to pull it off, you'd be better off takin it to a mechanic b/c hte engine will need to be lifted. should cost about $100 or so. its much cheaper if you cna do it yourself but its really tuff, i tried myself a few months ago and ended up having it towed to a shop to finish the job, lol

[cheapguy]

I've changed these belts twice. Once on my wife's Grand Am, and once on my Chevy Beretta...They are both the same. The first time it took me about 3 hours, the second time took about an hour. You do need to remove a motor mount. To do this, use a jack underneath your oil pan. Use a board or something to spread out the pressure so you don't dent it. You don't need to move then engine, you just need to support it. Start by just having the jack touch. Loosen the bolts in the motor mount. If the engine shifts up or down, adjust the jack accordingly. If you do it right the engine won't move when you take the bolts all the way out of the one motor mount. Then use a big adjustable wrench on the end of the tension bar to relieve the pressure on the belt. Take the belt off and put the new one on. Make sure you remember how it was routed. This will save you 80 or 90 bucks since the belt is cheap. Carefull not to skin you kniuckles!