Chrysler Repair: Installing a Serpentine Belt on a 98 Cirrus LXi, chrysler cirrus lxi, 1998 chrysler cirrus lxi

Question
I have a 1998 Chrysler Cirrus LXi with 2.5L engine and my alternator belt (Serpentine Belt) broke. There is NOT a diagram in the owner's manual or under the hood ANYWHERE. How do I replace that belt on my '98 Cirrus?

Answer
Hi AnTyonne,
I looked at my serpentine and can see how you might be confused. The trick is that the water pump pulley is driven by the back side of the belt (e.g. the ribbed part of the belt goes around the crank and the alternator pulleys as you migh expect, but the water pump pulley is just operaterd by the non-ribbed side of the belt passing by over the top of that pulley and coming in contact with just about 1/4 of its surface. The tension is handled by adjusting the alternator position. That requires loosening 3 items: looking at it from the front (passenger side), the upper left nut is the pivot, and then the lower right nut is a lock nut which when you release it allows you to rotate a bolt head on the other side of that braket that is at right angles and whose axis if tilted down and to the rear which when you do so will cause the alternator to move its position to give you enough leeway to install the new belt. Then tighten the bolt head so that when you press on the belt midway between the alternator and the crankshaft pulley with a force that you estimate to be about 10 pounds, the belt depresses about 1/8 inch. Then tighten the lower right nut to 25 ft-lbs and the upper left one to 30 ft-lbs.
Roland