Significant improvements in rubber technology have meant that serpentine belts last a lot longer than they once did. As a general rule of thumb, most will last between 50,000 and 100,000 miles. While most belts last a long time, there could be some external factors which are affecting its lifespan.
It is inevitable that over time, the belt will start wearing down due to the continuous exposure to heat and friction. The signs in the section above could point towards a replacement being due. Generally, you can tell when a belt is in need of replacement with a quick visual inspection.
If it has come to the stage when the serpentine belt in your vehicle is in dire need of replacement, you should be able to tell as the overall performance of the vehicle will start to decrease. You are likely to notice some weird noises coming from your car. And as anyone who has ever owned a vehicle should know already, you should never ignore your car when it is audibly trying to tell you something.
In fact, replacing your vehicles serpentine belt doesn’t have to be overly complicated, and can actually be accomplished just using hand tools. First, you are going to need to raise the hood to find the location of the belt in the first place. You will then need to disconnect the battery to ensure that certain parts of your vehicle are not in operation. Once you have found the belt, you can then start giving it a closer inspection to see if there are any signs of damage or cracking. You may find that the belt is still in decent condition, but it is rubbing on something. In which case, you will need to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that this is no longer the case and the belt will continue to move freely and unhindered. There is often a routing diagram which tells you exactly how the belt should be moving, so you can consult this if needed.
You will then need to go through a series of stages to relieve the tension of the v belt. There are plenty of guides online which will talk you through this process step by step. The last step is to replace the old and worn out belt with a brand new one.