2016–2025 Chevrolet Malibu
Save $110 by doing it yourself! Shop cost: $200
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Follow these steps carefully
Park on level ground, set the parking brake, and ensure the engine is off and cool. Photograph or sketch the serpentine belt routing on the pulley sticker (or draw it). Wear eye protection — a tensioner under spring load can snap.
Use a serpentine-belt tool, long breaker bar, or the specified socket on the tensioner. Rotate the tensioner to slack the belt, then slip the belt off one pulley. Slowly release the tensioner. Remove the belt from all pulleys.
Spin each idler and the tensioner pulley by hand — roughness, play, or seized bearings mean replace that pulley/tensioner with the belt. Check for oil/coolant contamination on pulleys. Compare the new belt’s rib count and length to the old one.
Route the new belt exactly per the diagram, leaving the easiest pulley (often the alternator or tensioner) for last. Confirm every rib sits fully in each pulley groove — a half-rib misroute will shred the belt quickly.
Rotate the tensioner again, slip the belt onto the last pulley, and slowly release so the tensioner takes up slack. Verify the belt is centered on every pulley and the tensioner indicator is in the acceptable range if marked.
Start the engine and watch the belt for several seconds — it should run true without chirps or wobble. If it squeals, shut down and recheck routing/contamination. Reinstall any shields or undercovers removed for access.
Test your repair before closing everything up. If something doesn't work right, double-check your steps.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
2013–2015
2008–2012
2008–2012
2008–2012
2013–2015
2016–2025