Ordered a new set of drive belts for my '03 Maxima SE. Popping the old serpentine belt off was a piece of cake. Taking off the inner belt power steering was a bit more of a job since with access I could only get one click on the ratchet each time. New belt went on OK and then just a bit more pain slowly tightening the belt and secruing the pivot nut.

Now it comes to putting on the new serpentine belt. Should be a breeze right? Well, I have the tensioner pulley completely loose at the top of the slot. But still I can't get the belt over all the pullyes. It's just a bit short. Now I expect the new belt to be a little tighter than the old (I assume the old one has stretched a bit). And the new belt compared to the old is a bit smaller when matched up. But with the tensioner completely loose I shouldn't have too much problem getting the new one on.

Put the old belt back on temporarily until I get this figured out.

Did I get the wrong part? Got it from nissanpartsonline.net. They sent OEM part 11920-7Y000. Poking around I see other listings saying for this year it should be a 11920-31U02. I've got an e-mail into the dealer now but was trying to get some feedback here.

 

A serpentine belt doesnt stretch that much, cracking and chunking is how they fail. So either your not installing the belt correctly or you got the wrong or cheaply made belt.

We just replaced the ac belt on my son's toyota yesterday, it took three trips to the parts store. first one was too short, second was too long. Third time is the charm.

Take your correct belt and the short belt back to the store and have them match it up.

 

Thanks for the reply. I must be putting the belt on OK since I ended up putting the old one back on with no trouble.

I try and stick to OEM parts and the parts were ordered from an on-line dealer (actually Jerry Rome Nissan in Springfield, MA but they have to keep their discount internet business separate or Nissan gets mad).

They've been spot on (right price, fast delivery, right part, and some e-mail support) before and I have an account with the model, year and exact VIN number so not sure why I would get the wrong part.

Am waiting to hear back from them after the weekend but thought I'd get some either confirmation of the P/N or confirmation that I got the wrong P/N.

 

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...h=shoppingcart

 

VQ,

Thanks for the link. However, I've already been there. Unfortunately, Courtesy (like most on-line dealers) lists by SKU number, not Nissan part number. While the 11920 part is consistent with Nissan part numbers, the part after the dash isn't. So I don't know what part number they are specing.

Jim R.

 

11920-31U02 is the correct PN you should have (which is the same for the A32, interestingly enough...good to know).

The part number you got, 11920-7Y000, would be the correct compressor/alternator belt if you had a 6th gen. Someone fudged a number on entry, most likely. 04 instead of 03, etc.

FTR, the first 5 digits are the part code, not the SKU. Inventory tracking is done by full part number, not the part code; it just tells what a part is for across all vehicles (11920/11950 are belts, 15208 is an oil filter, etc).

 

When you get the correct belt it will still be impossible to install unless you rotate the crank pulley to guide the new belt on.

 

If you look at the back side of the power steering unit, there is a long bolt that has to be loosened in order for the new belt to fit on.
-good luck

 

That's why you loosen up the tensioner. If you have to force it on, you have too small of a belt.

That's for the PS belt, which is not the one he purchased.

 

Out of curiosity, how many miles on your car/belts??

Just replaced mine @ 65k/6yrs. they were pretty cracked - I paid the stealer to do mine....didn't feel like messing with it.

gr

 

Thanks for the feedback. While access to that PS pulley loosening bolt is a bit tricky, it just has to be backed off a quarter turn or so to allow the other screw to move the PS pulley. Even though I was shipped the wrong belt, that belt did slip on OK. I'll swap it out when the correct belt arrives.

As for the serpentine belt, the tensioner for that belt moves quite a bit once loosened so if I get the right belt I shouldn't have to force the belt over the crank. In fact, when I ended up temporarily putting the old belt back on it went on with no trouble. No need to turn the crank to get it over the pulley. Just slip it over the pulleys and retension with the idler pulley.

I first tried doing this job from under the car and it seemed like a nightmare. With a tip from this forum, I learned to go in through the right wheel well with the lower inner fender liner removed. Not bad getting at it from this angle. However, one of the two bolts holding the fender liner snapped off due to rusting. Once I go back in there I'll have to drill and tap a new hole for the bolt.

My '03 has about 70k on it. The serpentine belt was pretty cracked. The PS belt actually didn't look too bad but it makes no sense just to replace just one belt. Once I get my '03 done, I'll do my girlfriend's '02 with about 80K on it. Her serpentine belt looks about as bad as mine. That's one advantage of having nearly identical cars (mine's an SE manual and hers is a GLE auto). Once I stumble through figuring out a job on my car, it's a cinch to repeat it on her car.

Other good news is I heard back from nissanpartsonline.net. They confirmed that I had the wrong belts. Seems like they have a glitch in their web site. Even though you search for parts under Nissan>Maxima>2003 then drill down and click on Engine Maintenance and add the two belts to the cart, when you look at your cart, it describes them as belts for the '04 Maxima. I didn't pick up on this when I first ordered. When I search by the correct part number the cart lists them under the "collision parts" catalog for the '02 and '03.

The correct belts are on the way and not only are they refunding me on the wrong belts, they're sending me a DHL shipping label so I don't pay any return shipment. While of course it would have been better to get the right parts the first time, they're stepping up to the plate to make it right. That is the real test of good customer service.