Changing the Polyrib Belt

[Loren]

View this tutorial

Changing the Polyrib Belt

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Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. Parts you will need: 1 each 996 102 151 64 (or 996 102 151 66) Polyrib Belt (with air conditioning) or 1 each 996 102 151 65 Polyrib Belt (without air conditioning) Tools you will need: 13 mm socket or wrench (for air cleaner) Regular screwdriver (for air cleaner) 24 mm socket or wrench (for belt pulley) Remove air cleaner housing.

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• Author
  Loren
• Category
  Carrera (996) - Maintenance
• Submitted
  11/15/2005 02:09 PM

 

[siddharth]

24 mm socket or wrench (for belt pulley)

I just did this and would REALLY recommend the 24mm socket instead of the wrench. The socket stays on the head and allows you to exert force without worries.

The wrench sometimes slips off (the 24mm nut head is narrow) and you could hurt your fingers or "round off" the 24mm nut head edges.

[smistry007]

24 mm socket or wrench (for belt pulley)

I just did this and would REALLY recommend the 24mm socket instead of the wrench. The socket stays on the head and allows you to exert force without worries.

The wrench sometimes slips off (the 24mm nut head is narrow) and you could hurt your fingers or "round off" the 24mm nut head edges.

Is this essentially the same procedure for the 996TT?

Thanks

Sameer

[Loren]

Is this essentially the same procedure for the 996TT?

It is a bit more complicated.

I'll try to put a DIY together in the next couple of days.

You can find the new TT belt replacement here.

Edited August 28, 2006 by Loren

[Charlestonboxster]

Is this essentially the same procedure for the 996TT?

It is a bit more complicated.

I'll try to put a DIY together in the next couple of days.

You can find the new TT belt replacement here.

Is the procedure the same for a 1998 2.5 986?

Thanks,

T

[Loren]

Is this essentially the same procedure for the 996TT?

It is a bit more complicated.

I'll try to put a DIY together in the next couple of days.

You can find the new TT belt replacement here.

Is the procedure the same for a 1998 2.5 986?

Thanks,

T

The belt instructions are the same - you will need to remove the front engine cover (behind the seats) to get access on a Boxster

[Charlestonboxster]

Is this essentially the same procedure for the 996TT?

It is a bit more complicated.

I'll try to put a DIY together in the next couple of days.

You can find the new TT belt replacement here.

Is the procedure the same for a 1998 2.5 986?

Thanks,

T

The belt instructions are the same - you will need to remove the front engine cover (behind the seats) to get access on a Boxster

Great, will do, Poly due for replacement, thanks.

T

[jose]

Done today! easy steak

B)

[Kyrak]

FWIW, here is what a bad Polyrib belt looks like (and a bad motor mount for good measure). Thanks for the great instructions, I was able to do it quickly after I got the right belt(mine has a supercharger so it has 3 extra wheels to go around and a longer belt).

[serickson]

I just changed my polyrib belt on my 2004 GT3. Just an FYI, you cannot use a 24mm socket because you do not have the space because of an aluminum bracket holding the motor that runs right in front of the tensioning pulley. A 24mm boxed end wrench is what you need. The spacing between the aluminum bracket and belt tensioner pulley is tight. I had to use a screw driver to lightly pry to open the gap to fit my wrench within the space. Also, the pulley layout is different so draw the layout before removing the belt. When removing or replacing space is very limited and not as open as the picture illustrates entire procedure should take 30-45 minutes. Good Luck.

Steve

[split]

where's the cheapest place to order a polyrib belt? I'm currently just shy of 60,000miles / 96,000kms on my 2002. I was planning on installing K&N intake, so should I change my polyrib belt while I have the intake out?

[azaytsev]

I just replaced the belt. Very easy job. Thank you for great DIY.

[SpeedRacer350]

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of having to waste a half a day to go into town and buy some random $30 socket every time I work on this car. Since I've got just about every size except a 24 mm, I thought I was going to have to do this again. Then I discovered that a 15/16 socket fits the tensioner pulley perfectly too. And that's a common size found in most tool kits.

[fedmax]

Hi there

Do I have to 'center' the servo pump wheel? It looks like it wobbles a bit since I loosened and fastened it again. However the DYI does not indicate anything like this and this is how I've done it:

2. Position servo pump wheel (2).

- Put on the servo pump wheel together with the drive belt.

- Slightly tighten the three fastening screws on the servo pump wheel.

3. Tension drive belt (3).

- To tension the drive belt, turn the tensioning roller 7 in clockwise direction and simultaneously fit the drive belt on the deflection roller 8.

- Then slowly relieve. To do this, turn the tensioning roller slowly counter−clockwise (anti-clockwise).

4. Tighten fastening screws on servo pump (4).

- Tighten the fastening screws of the servo pump drive wheel. Tightening torque: 17 ftlb. (23 Nm)

Thanks in advance.

[Rennsource]

Easyiest thing I've done yet... $30.30 from Sunset

[slbates]

Gates has a nifty polyrib checker. A belt may pass visual but the groove depths may be out of spec.

[ecgross1]

One important piece of advice and one question.

First, the advice - be careful of the oil filler tube when replacing the belt. Plastic tends to get hard and brittle with age, and I barely bumped that sucker with my shoulder or arm when pulling off the old belt and it cracked and popped clean off. Now I either have to pay for a new part and spend a few hours removing the alternator to replace it, or glue/epoxy/tape the stupid thing back together.

The question - perhaps I was not getting proper leverage on the tensioner pulley, but I had a heck of a time getting enough slack in the belt to install it. I used on old trick that I have used on many prior vehicles - removing one of the pulleys and re-installing it with the belt in place. In this case it was the upper ilder pulley just to the right of the alternator - identified as number "3" on Loren's diagram. The bolt on which this pulley rests also appears to be one of the two bolts securing the alternator in place. It is a smooth bolt at least six inches long, with about an inch of threads at the end. Once through the pulley and the alternator, the bolt rests in a "U" shaped channel, which looks like it should have a section with a threaded hole at the end to mate with the threads on the bolt. Alas, it does not.

Was there a nut on the back on this bolt that quietly disappeared into the depths of the engine when I removed the pulley? Is there something else I am missing? You can clearly see the bolt and threads in the attached pic - which is only possible because I was able to pull the stump of the broken oil filler tube up out of the way and wedge it over the dipstick. Thanks in advance for help on this one.

[ecgross1]

Also, you might notice in the picture above that just behind and to the right of the idler pulley are two coolant hoses that join together with a plastic connector. You can see the upper hose and the plastic connector in this picture, with a little bit of brownish leakage/corrosion on top of the plastic connector. I very, very, very gently tapped this connector with my fingernail, and it disintigrated, with both plastic nipples (top and bottom) breaking off inside their respective hoses. Better now than out on the road in the middle of summer I guess. If your car is more than seven years old, I would suggest replacing this cheap little plastic connector before it leaves you stranded.

[seakengo]

I had a heck of a time completing this, but figured out a trick! On my 01

996 C4 cabriolet, the belt was badly worn. After rmoving my aftermarket Fabspeed Air cleaner (awesome upgrade), I discovered that I did not own a 24mm socket right away, but a 15/16" will work. Got the old belt off in a few minutes, but the new belt was. Very difficult to get on. I wrestled with it for two hours and made no headway. HERE IS THE TRICK: I removed the tension wheel as it seemed not to nice moving enough. After inspecting, I reinstalled and tightened it heavily by using a 15mm box wrench on the back and the 15/16" on the front. Sock it down as hard as you can and this will increase the amount of travel the tension arm moves. Belt went right on after this, so that is the fix if you are struggling to get the belt on!

[wyovino]

I've found it's much easier if you have someone else operating the tensioner while you thread the belt.