5.4 Serpentine belt replacement
 

2003 5.4, 112k miles. Thinking about replacing the serpentine belt and wondering if you could rate the difficulty and provide some pointers?

I understand the “difficulty” is more me than the truck so I will say I’m reasonably handy with mechanical issues. Brakes, rotors, all maintenance etc. as an example. Thanks in advance and “please be gentle”! LOL

Super easy. Stick a breaker bar in the tensioner pulley, relieve tension, slide belt off, release tensioner. Grab new belt, relieve tension, slide new belt on (look at picture on radiator cover to get the routing layout), release tensioner, look at belt routing and make sure it matches the picture... and you're good to go.

Tools needed: 1/2" breaker bar (or socket wrench)
Supplies needed: new belt

Oh and make sure the belt is all the way on and set in each groove. There was a member here recently that chewed thru a belt and he realized he didn't slide the belt all the way into the grooves and had one groove of the belt hanging off.

Awesome and thank you very much!

FWIW I replaced my belt and it was one of the first car projects I'd ever done. The belt was super easy to route after seeing some tips on youtube (I can't recall the tips now but it was just suggestions on where to start / end routing the belt).

Along with that project I replaced the idler pully and tensioner. Neither may need to be replaced in your situation but if you take off the belt and notice some rust then it's a relatively simple R&R.

If I can do it you can do it, for sure

I have replaced serpentine belts a couple of times and one thing I would suggest is taking a picture of the routing before you take off the old one. I am amazed at how simple something can look like until I have it apart. I may be super cautious (or maybe paranoid) but I always like a pic to back me up, just in case.

I think this is good advice. I do this on about any project I get into, saves a lot of guess time.

And use a non grooved pulley as the final pulley to slide the belt on. It is a lot easier than trying to finish on a grooved pulley. The tension gets difficult on that last pulley and the belt won’t slide onto a grooved pulley and you will be screwing around fighting with the tensioner at the same time trying to get it on because the belt will not just slide on. It really is only a few minute job. I get under the truck and route the bottom pulleys first so I can finish up top to remove tension at the same time without a helper. And lol....I always have my smartphone to look at the routing on line. I never remember it.

The pic is pointless because it's literally printed on the radiator cover lol

In regards to other maintenance, taking pictures is a must. Has saved my skin quite a few times

While taking the pic might be abundantly cautious, I don't think it's pointless. For one thing, the caricature on the rad cover is generic and includes both the routing with AC and without. With cell phones in everyone's pocket these days, I believe that a quick pic of the actual engine bay makes it easier and more foolproof. Just sayin.......