Gotta love interstate trips hey? Especially when just an hour in, something started to sound like an industrial vacuum cleaner going off when you put your foot down in the Stagea. The mechanic from the NRMA suggested it was a loose belt (which doesn’t explain the smoke from what also may be a cooked turbo..) and since only two of the three belts had been changed in the most recent service, now that we’ve arrived safely in Albury it’s time to change the third anyway, tighten them up and see if that’s solved one of the many things left on the to do list…
Now in all honesty, the last time I attempted changing any belts was with my ageing Mazda Rx7 way back when and somehow I managed to stuff them right up. So as much as I’d like to claim credit for this process I’m using now, the guide I’ve been following is this one right here by SAU Forums user shubby0901. He was even kind enough to post up pictures and mark which bolts you need to work on and when.
Shub’s fantastic guide to replacing your belts on an RB25 Engine
I’m just going to add one extra step to the RB25 power steering belt part because up until I found it, I was having a frustrating time getting that damn belt loose (and I did bring out a hammer at one stage too…_) and since it’s the first belt you need to remove to get to the alternator belt (it goes power steering, air con then water pump and alternator) you’re going to come across this early.
RB25 Power Steering belt removal
As Shub explains, undo the first bolt on the left (14mm) and then wind out the second (12mm) on the thread but don’t go all the way.
Then follow that long thread back and look for a another 12mm bolt right next to it. This is the third bolt you will need to loosen (the pivot one) that allows the pump to drop and the belt to slacken enough to remove. If you come at it from the left hand side with a 12mm offset spanner, you should be able to make short work of it.
Up until I found that last one (thanks Google and Facebook!) that pump wasn’t going anywhere and now that it’s out of the way, you can attack the air con belt (which you have to do from under the car apparently, can’t wait..)
RB25 Power Steering belt – 4pk860
This is the belt for the power steering on an RB25 Neo engine. Available at all good auto stores and plenty on Amazon if you don’t have a shop handy. If you’re unsure what belt you have, a quick scan under your bonnet should cough up a number needed.
Right, onto the next two!
RB25 – Air con belt
As instructed, under the car you go and you can remove enough bolts to have the plastic shroud drop down with enough room to work with without having to take it completely off. The tension bolt is right there in front of you. The last bolt you need to get things free enough to get the belt on, is the nut on the pulley itself. Loosen this nut and you can push the pulley up and remove the belt.
RB25 – Alternator/water pump belt
The third and final bolt you need for this (the pivot belt) is at the bottom of the alternator. Loosen this and you can swing the alternator up enough to remove the belt.
After replacing the third and reinstalling the other two, I was still getting belt scream with the air con on full load. So back under the car I went and since it was pretty tight, I loosened it a bit before trying again and am happy to report the air con works fine and no squeals are heard currently. Now onto the next job!