I was just wondering how hard it is to change out the serpentine belt on the mada. I know you have to take off the fan and there is only four bolts. What about the auto tensioner how do you loosen it? Any help is appreciated.
thanks a lot guys. no more squealing. the weather was getting colder and colder and the squeal annoyed the hell out of me. i used the gatorback one, ending in 71...
I know a lot of people are running the Gatorback belt with no problem, but I'm curious. The stock belt I have has groves that match up to the grooves on the pulleys. The Gatorback belt has a different pattern that doesn't line up with the pulley grooves. Is this okay and what others have too?
Andy, I'm sorry I can't answer your question. However I did have issues with the Gatorback. My truck sounded like it had a super charger with a constant whirring / whining noise any time I accelerated.
I ended up going with the OEM belt and it was back to quiet. I replaced it again this weekend (<20 min) after about 30k because it started chirping again at idle on damp days.
I know a lot of people love the Gatorback but it did not work out well for me.
Just wanted to say thanks to those that contributed to this thread. I just replaced the belt in 30 mins. The info here is spot on. The toughest part was to get the belt lined up with each pulley. But since I knew that going in, I was patient. I used an OEM belt from nissan.
Glad it worked out! Interesting to see how others had the supercharger sound but were able to live with it. In my book more sound, no matter how cool, is not quieter. It drove me nuts to the point of returning it.
Bookmark the thread as you will replace the belt again in 30-40k
I read this thread two weeks before doing the job and forgot a crucial step, locking the tensioner!! Once I found that it only took 5 mins to get the new GY Gatorback 4070970 on. Replaced the belt because it was squeaking when it got wet. Just bought it in Oct and it was squeaking at the dealer so I had them replace it before I took it. They used an OE belt and it started squeaking 3 weeks after. That's what drove me to find this site and I am glad I did. Got my belt from Summit Racing Equipment for $37.
The tensioners aren't great quality and will cause similar symptoms. If your belt was changed and you heard noise three weeks later, you should check the tensioner too.
Thanks for all the info. I just ordered the Gatorback 4070971 from Amazon for $20. It even showed it as compatible with the 05 QX. Hopefully this takes care of my squeal or else I'll need to do the tensioner as well.
Just finished mine too!! I had the squeak for the last couple of days and wd40 would instantly stop it so I figured must have been the belt.
Excellent help/diagram provided.
Took me about 40 mins (prob 10 mins checking and rechecking........)
Gates belt and tensioner worked out really good for me. Only paid 7.50 for belt and 21 for tensioner (employee discount) about 9, 000 miles ago. Looking forward on replacing pcv valve.
I replaced mine in about 20 min. Didn't remove anything. Piece of cake. I actually did it in a hotel parking lot, about 500 miles from home. I had a spare in the truck (for the long trip) and when I took a look at the one on the truck, I didn't like the looks of it, so I swapped it out.
Same thing happened to me with the gatorback. Although mine got a whole lot worse before i noticed it.
Also went back to oem belt.
Sure glad they are easy to change.
Replaced mine today on my '08 with a Gates Micro-V AT belt from O'Reilly's. Part # K070971. 106K miles. The original was beginning to feel hard and brittle. No whine noise that I can detect.
Easy job...took about 20 minutes. I did take off the air tube to give myself more room. I used a 3/8" socket with a short cheater bar. Also used a 12 penny nail to hold the tensioner pulley in place.
I bought an OEM belt and plan on doing this very soon.
Sorry for the NOOB qeustion, but is it easier to access from the top of the engine, or underneath when replacing. Thanks
Did mine today. I noticed wear on the back side of the original belt while changing the oil. 20 min job, including 10 min to fetch the new belt. Didn't remove intake tube. '05 model with 59K miles.