How to Adjust the Serpentine Belt on a 1998 Toyota Tercel
- 1). Find a flat location such as a garage or driveway and park the Toyota. Set the parking brake and remove the key from the engine to avoid accidental injury. Let the engine cool and open the hood of the vehicle to expose the engine. Locate the serpentine belt routing diagram on the radiator fan cover or on the hood of your vehicle. The location will vary depending on the exact type of Tercel you drive. Find the belt tensioner pulley that is used to keep the serpentine belt taut.
- 2). Remove the negative battery connection with the pliers and set it to the side. Place an appropriate-sized socket over the end of the bolt that sticks out of the side of the tensioner pulley and attach the ratchet to the socket. Apply pressure in the direction shown on the belt routing diagram to loosen the pressure on the belt. Use the flat-head screwdriver to slide the belt off the end of the tensioner pulley and slowly allow the pulley to go back to its "closed" position. Remove the belt from the rest of the pulleys in the engine.
- 3). Route a new belt through the pulley system as dictated by your specific Tercel belt routing diagram. Ensure that the grooves on the inside of the belt align with the pulleys that have notches, and that the smooth side of the pulley is fitting against those pulleys that do not have notches. Use a small piece of masking tape to hold the belt in place as you work. Reapply pressure to the tensioner to slip the belt over the adjustment pulley once you have finished routing the other components. Remove your tools, connect the battery lead, and start the Tercel.
- 4). Run the engine for at least five minutes to allow the automatic tensioner to adjust to the new belt. Adjust manually only if necessary, indicated by screeching or flapping sounds if the belt has fallen off.