Chrysler Repair: Serpentine Belt 2000 Dodge Caravan, serpentine belt, dodge caravan

Question
I just had a brand new serpentine belt put on and within a week of getting it. I couldn't turn the wheels yesterday. That's when I noticed the belt was right off the pulleys. Can I fix this myself or do I have to take it back. Thank You

Answer
Hi Jeff,
You didn't mention which engine you have (there are 4 possibilities, I believe). Chances are you have either a 3.3/3.8 and with that one it is pretty easy to put it back on. All you have to do in order to get some slack after threading it around most of the pulleys (there may be a diagram on the underside of the hood) is to put a wrench on the bolt located on the shaft of the idler pulley (the one that doesn't drive anything) and pull clockwise against the spring loaded tension of the arm that holds the pulley. That will then allow you to put the belt around the last pulley of the belt path. If you have a different engine, then some bolts may need to be loosened, etc. But if whoever did the belt isn't too far away, why not have them stand behind the work and put it on for free. But it may not by prudent to drive without the belt because of engine overheating if the belt drives the waterpump. So evaluate that before doing anything.
Also, you might check each of the components to see if one of them might have a bad bearing that is causing the belt to jump off, and also take a long straight edge and check to see if any of the pulleys is out of line with the plane of the other pulleys, which is another reason. The idler pulley arm may be out of alignment, for example.
Let me know if you need more info.
Roland