serpentine belt
 

ml430= about how long does it take to replace? and any special tricks?

thanks.

At dealer that is less than .5hr job. NO real special tools needed. JUST make a mental note of the routing. OR take a picture first.

Or look in your owner's manual--picture is in there.

Belt
 

Spin the idler pulley while you're at it. It's very inexpensive to replace and easy. But I believe I had to remove the fan because the bolt was too long (1999 ML 430) to remove from the idler.

Also wouldn't hurt to spin the tensioner for bearing noise. I replaced the belt and tensioner failed a few 100 miles later (granted, well over 120K on the tensioner so I'm not complaining).

I normally remove the fan assembly. From there, it's a few minute job to remove the old and put on a new belt.

You need the fan clutch wrenches to remove the fan assembly easily. I have an extra new unused one of the two that I need to put on ebay one of these day.

It is absolutely not necessary to remove the fan to replace the belt. you craw under to release the tensioner, then everthing can be managed from top.