How to Replace Serpentine Belt | Subaru Outback 3.6 | Subaru Legacy 3.6

[@bksaun]

Thanks for a simple video that gets to the point without a bunch of stupid music and unnecessary chatter! Well done!

[@j3694]

Sweet! Just replaced my cracked, dried-out belt with little trouble. I found it helpful to draw a simple diagram of the old belt's placement as it was tricky to get everything in a photo.

[@utahgeoff]

Thank you. You saved my weekend vacation. Serpentine belt Grenaded when the idler pulley seized. Your video saved the day. An hour later we were up and running again after a trip to the auto parts store and some roadside maintenance.

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Glad it helped and you are back on the road!

[@nicholasminter4044]

And that's why I'm here. Idler seized and the belt completely exploded... All over the place.

[@jeffrhyner]

This is the correct way to change the belt, though putting it back on a worn pulley is a bad idea and should have been better explained. Upon my 2010 3.6r belt coming off, also realized my idler pulley bearing was completely destroyed too and I had to replace it before the belt could be put back on. So look for loose or wobbly pulleys before putting the new belt on. Replace them even if there is only a little play in the pulley bearing. Just like checking skateboard wheels...it won't roll if the bearings are loose or worn out. One 14mm bolt holds the pulley, a very easy fix. But thank you for the belt change video, it was useful and I'm back on the road without a mechanics bill.

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Thanks Jeff. Most of my videos are a one man operation (just me), and parts of them could be better filmed and explained for sure. My ultimate goal is to provide good content, but at minimum give others enough to understand the level of effort and tools needed to tackle on their own (and save some money!) Glad you accomplished that and are back on the road!

[@ptuffgong8504]

Great video, thanks! I'm only semi- mechanically inclined, but this was well within my skill set.

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Glad it was helpful.

[@Sam_Handwitch]

I've been putting that cover on the wrong way this whole time...Great video!

[@seanmertens2532]

Thank you for this.

[@sc230mb]

Super helpful.

[@guykrzanowski803]

I replaced the serpentine belt and idler pulley then there was a squeal, sprayed a little water on pulley, squeak disappears so i knew it was a belt issue. Maybe the pulleys are misaligned. Unlikely, maybe the idler pulley is a bad part. Unlikely. What was causing the squeal? The first belt i bought was a dayco belt, the second was an oem belt. That was the difference the oem belt instead of pure rubber on the ribs it looks like it is covered with a fabric type material. Oem belt, no more squeal. visibly you can see the difference.

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Glad you got it sorted, I’ve so far had good results with the Continental belt.

[@BinhTran-star430]

Thank you, excellent video. How many miles should you replace it as maintenance? 100k?

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Glad it was helpful. I think it depends somewhat on conditions beyond mileage, but I’d recommend you check it periodically and I like to replace around every 50k miles. It’s an inexpensive part that is pretty easy to service. In my Jeep I carry a spare just in case I needed to replace while somewhere remote.

[@BinhTran-star430]

@@MattsGarageMiscDIY Thank you Matt

[@andrewhorry9417]

Is this the equivalent of a timing belt

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

No, a serpentine belt drives external things like, alternator, water pump, power steering, air conditioning. A timing belt or chain is internal, drives cam timing, and is a lot more effort to change.

[@andrewhorry9417]

@@MattsGarageMiscDIY thanks. I just bought a used Outback 2014 and the Carfax said the serpentine belt was changed I don't know too much about cars and the guy convinced me that it was the timing belt so it was a good deal to buy the car

[@csharp57]

You edited out the most helpful part at 3:06 It was the main reason why I came here. I wanted to know how you got a new belt over that pulley. You didn’t say what you did to get it on there and you know that gave you problems. Why didn’t you offer a solution? I gave it a thumbs down. Your video didn’t help at all

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Long after I did the work, I edited the footage, and the last bit was blocked and not really useful. I explain the process in the video description. It’s pretty simple but if you are installing a new belt it will be tight. Best of luck, you’ll get it.