How to Remove a Serpentine Belt & Tensioner from a Volkswagen Jetta

Applies to: VW JETTA (1999-2006) NEW BEETLE (1998-2005) GOLF (1999-2006)

 

View our helpful video detailing the instructions for how to remove a VW serpentine belt and tensioner. We have also listed out step-by-step instructions as part of our Volkswagen serpentine belt tensioner removal guide. For your convenience, our step-by-step walkthrough for how to remove a Volkswagen serpentine belt is also available for you to print.

This Guide is for 1999-2006 VW Jetta, 1998-2005 VW Beetle, and 1999-2006 VW Golf models

Pull Tip: Take care relieving tension from the belt tensioner, it'll be under pressure.

Estimated Pull Time: 20 minutes

Recommended Tools

  • Use a ratchet to make your repair with help from Pull-A-Part. 13mm Ratchet
  • image of adjustable pliers a needed tool for part removal at Pull-A-Part's junkyard Adjustable Pliers

Instructions

  • 1

    Remove the engine cover

  • 2

    Move the cooling line completely out of the way. To do this, release the plastic retention tab and lift the line up and over. This will give a better view of the tensioner

  • 3

    To remove the serpentine belt, release tension off of the tensioner. Then grab the serpentine belt between the a/c compressor and alternator just pull it off. You do not need to take it far off

  • 4

    Caution! There will still be spring tension be the tensioner so do not just take the tool off. Easy it back into position or the tool may go flying

  • 5

    Remove three 13mm bolts holding the tensioner on

  • 6

    Remove the two top bolts first from front to back then remove the bottom bolt. This will give you more room to work

  • 7

    As you loosen the last bolt, hold the tensioner in place to prevent it from falling. This might damage the tensioner

  • 8

    Now, you cannot just pull the tensioner right off to the side. You will need to lower the tensioner slightly in order for it to clear the bracket, then you will be able to pull it right out

Hey, everybody. Charles from humblemechanic.com, back with another DIY and drive tutorial with Pull-A-Part used auto parts. Today, we're going to be removing a serpentine belt tensioner on a Volkswagen. The tools that we're going to need for this are going to be a 13-millimeter wrench or ratchet as well as a way to take the serpentine belt off. We're going to need to de-tension the tensioner to remove it. So I use these Knipex pliers. But you can also use a We're going to start by taking off the engine cover and laying that to the side. Then what I like to do is I like to get this coolant line completely out of the way by releasing the plastic retention tab and just pulling it up and over. And that gives you a really great view of the serpentine belt tensioner. Next, we're going to take off the serpentine belt. So we're going to release tension off of the tensioner. And then what I like to do with serpentine belts is grab it between the AC compressor and just pull it off. And you don't really need to take it any further off than just that. Now there's going to be spring tension behind this. So don't just take the tool off the tensioner. Kind of ease it back. Otherwise, the tool may go flying. Now that we have no tension on the tensioner and our belt's out of the way, we're going to take these three There's one. A small ratchet works really well for this. Now I do them in that order --I do this one, then the back one, and then the bottom one last-- because that gives you a little bit more access for your tool to get on the bolt. Now when this bottom bolt gets near the end of its threads, one of two things is going to happen. Either the tensioner is going to stay right where it is or it's going to fall all the way to the floor. So we don't want to damage it. So I like to hold it and just twist the bolt out the last little bit by hand. Now, you can't just pull this off this way. You have to go past this bracket right here. So this actually needs to drop down to clear the bracket. And then you can pull it right out.
All right, guys. This is Charles from humblemechanic.com. Thanks for watching. And I will see you next time.

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