The 2006 Dodge three-quarter-ton and one-ton pickups equipped with the Cummins 5.9-liter diesel engine use a serpentine belt to drive accessories such as the coolant water pump and fan, power steering pump and air-conditioning compressor. Chrysler Corp. recommends accessory belt inspection every 15,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. To inspect, twist the belt by hand and look at the ribs that run longitudinally on the contact side. Small cracks in the ribs are acceptable but any missing sections of the ribs, fraying or glazing are causes for belt replacement.
Snap the 1/2-inch-drive insert into the tensioner tool. Set the tool ratchet for clockwise rotation.
Reach down between the radiator and engine and insert the drive head of the tensioner tool into the square hole in the tensioner arm. This is the spring-loaded arm that holds the idler pulley against the belt, and is located to your left and between the water pump and crankshaft. Use the stepladder to improve your reach.
Turn the tool clockwise against the spring tensioner to loosen the belt. Hold the tool while you slip the belt off the pulleys and around the fan blades, then slowly release the tool. Draw a picture of the belt routing or take a picture with your camera or cell phone; you will use the same routing when installing the new belt.
Slip the new belt over the radiator fan and route it as follows: left to right from the top of the engine: over the alternator pulley, under the water pump pulley and over the idler pulley. Then down to the lower right and around the outside of the power steering pump pulley, up and around the fan pulley and back down to the crankshaft pulley. Turn the tensioner tool clockwise against spring pressure and bring the belt around the crankshaft pulley and over the tensioner pulley. If the truck has air conditioning, the compressor is on the lower left and the belt needs to go from the tensioner pulley around the compressor. Release the tensioner tool. The tensioner will automatically apply the correct tension to the belt.
Remove the tensioner tool and close the hood of the truck.
