How to Replace a Serpentine Belt on a Lexus ES300
- 1). Locate the serpentine belt routing diagram that is located under the hood of the car, to the left of the hood release latch. If the diagram is not present, then draw an accurate diagram depicting the path that the belt travels around each pulley, denoting whether it goes over or under the pulley.
- 2). Locate the spring tensioner pulley in the front-center portion of the engine. The tensioner pulley resembles all of the other pulleys except that it attached to a spring-loaded arm instead of an engine component.
- 3). Attach the socket wrench to the square peg in the center of the spring tensioner pulley and rotate it counterclockwise to release the tension from the belt system. Slip the belt off of the spring tensioner pulley and slowly release the wrench. Remove the belt from the engine compartment.
- 4). Install the new belt according to the diagram, leaving the spring tensioner pulley for last. Make sure to follow the diagram exactly because improper installation can lead to the pulleys turning backwards, causing them to break.
- 5). Rotate the wrench on the spring tensioner pulley counterclockwise once again and slip the new belt onto the pulley. Slowly release the wrench to restore tension to the belt.