How Much Time to Change Serpentine Belt?

[Sonoman]

Time to change my serpentine drive belt on the '05... part is on the way. Looks easy in the service manual. Anyone done this and have any tips/ things to watch out for?

-Dave (aka Sonoman)

 

[hemihead]

I'm not sure about Gen III but my GEN II is about as easy as it gets. Figure 5 minutes if you take your time.

 

[speedracervr4]

Doing the same thing on my SRT10 Ram tomorrow. Figured I would replace the tensioner at the same time. I know the manual tells you to use a 15MM wrench, but I've heard a breaker bar and socket works better for leverage.

 

[speedracervr4]

I'm replacing the idler pulley as well since it's only $14 or so.

 

[Sonoman]

I'm replacing the idler pulley as well since it's only $14 or so.

I can never make any sense of parts prices... a pulley is $14.00 and a fuel filter is $112.00! My old standard guess-timate of taking whatever you think it is worth and multiply X2 doesn't hold up any more.

Hemihead, it may only take me five minutes to change the belt, but then there's the 45 minutes to detail everything in the vicinity! Can't help it, the OCD kicks in when I work on the Viper... by the pics here on this forum I'm not the only one with this problem.

 

[speedracervr4]

Yea a local dealer here wanted $124 for the tensioner. I called Roe and got it for $77 instead.

 

[speedracervr4]

Might also want to tq Check the crank shaft pulley while you're at it.

 

[Sonoman]

Yea a local dealer here wanted $124 for the tensioner. I called Roe and got it for $77 instead.

Not to take anything away from the dedicated sponsors and active contributors to the forum, but a site called MoparPartsOnline has the tensioner for only $57. What I've been finding the last few years is local stealerships (any brand) are marking parts up 15-25% OVER MSRP, and meanwhile, the online warehouses are selling at 15-25% under the MSRP. To me, MSRP should be the max you pay, anything more is a rip-off, and it's making the brand look bad by charging loyal customers exorbitant prices for OEM parts (which are seldom cheap to begin with even at MSRP).

 

[speedracervr4]

Thanks, I had went there first but it doesn't have a drop down for the SRT10 rams so I gave up. I just found the tensioner under the 1500 ram.Oh well, Sean always seems to help me out with any of my questions so I don't mind paying a little extra.

 

[Sonoman]

Yeah, Roe Racing is a good company and I recently bought some aftermarket intake parts from them. Thumbs up to the few outfits catering to the relatively small Viper market... we luv ya guys! It's tough to be in a any kind of "toy store" business when money gets tight... my local Ducati dealer went under just two months after I bought my new bike there (aack!)...