Unpopular opinion: That "quick" belt swap at the NAPA parking lot in Akron cost me 3 hours

Guy at the meet said you can swap a serpentine belt in 5 minutes without pulling the tensioner pulley, but I tried that on a 2012 Focus and it slipped back off twice... has anyone else found those shortcuts just waste more time?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren9761mo ago

That "5 minute" trick sounds like the same stuff guys post on YouTube who don't actually have to deal with rust and dirt... Did you have to take the wheel off or were you working from the top?

umaprice1mo agoMost Upvoted

My neighbor tried that trick on his old truck last weekend. Ended up with a ratchet stuck under the engine block and had to call me to help fish it out with a broom handle. We never even got the wheel off, just stood there laughing at how wrong it went.