Can anyone tell me about replacing the Serpentine Belt?

I appears that all I have to do is remove the fan. Is this the case?

Thanks-

Dickie
00 ML 320
97 328i
87 325is

To replace the belt you may want to take the fan shroud off, otherwise its a little tight to work in there.

To remove the shroud crawl under the car with a 10mm socket and ratchet. On the both sides of the shroud at the bottom are two bolts just remove them and set them aside. Then take a flat blade screw driver and pop out (sideways) the clips that the screws went through. Pull the shroud up from the top, it's still held on by some slide fittings towards the top of the shroud (you can see these if you look down from the top). To get the shroud out you can twist it and carefully wiggle it out between the fan and the radiator. I just pushed the shroud in towards the engine and removed the blades from the fan without taking the whole fan off. To remove the blades from the fan use a socket with a 5mm allen bit in it and carefully take off the three bolts in the front of the fan holding it to the big metal disc (clutch). Once the fan is undone pull it up and out (mine fell on the floor) and then twist the shroud 90 degrees and pull up.

To remove the belt you need to release the tensioner, to do this attach a torx e10 socket and ratchet to the pully on the tensioner and pull just as if you were loosening up a bolt. There is a hole on the tensioner to hold it in place with a metal rod, I never saw it so I simply slipped the belt off at this point and let the tensioner back out. then slip the belt off toss it and put on the new belt. The tensioner is self tensioning so just let it go and its ready to run. Check to make sure the belt is seated on all the pullys correctly.

This is also a real good time to check your harmonic balancer as its right in front and wont have a belt on it. Its also a good time to change it.

Assembly is the reverse of removal (I love that all my italian manuals end with that)

Good luck if you have any questions just ask. And as far as a new belt goes check your local dealer and or chrysler store (crossfire parts fit and are cheaper )or your local napa, thats where I got mine.

While the fan shroud is out, it can be cut so that the fan itself need not be removed the next time. I simply tapered the shroud 'cone' from its midpoint on the sides on down such that about three inches was removed at the bottom.

Masking tape served as a guide and the cutting was done with a jig saw.

In addition to the serpentine belt, everything else on the front of the engine is now much more accessible once the shroud is easily removed.