The serpentine belt on the 2002 Buick Century runs all of the engine accessories like the power steering pump, the air conditioning pump, the alternator and the radiator fan. Older cars used separate belts for each accessory, but the Buick Century uses one belt that snakes through the pulleys on the accessories. A tensioner pulley keeps pressure on the belt. Because of the tensioner pulley, you do not have to loosen the alternator to remove the belt as you had to on older cars.
Inspect the underside of the engine hood for the serpentine diagram. If it is missing, make a diagram of all the pulleys in the car and denote which side the belt rests against on each pulley.
Locate the tensioner pulley located at the bottom of the serpentine belt. The pulley has a square hole in the face.
Insert a 3/8-inch ratchet drive into the square hole and pull up on the handle to move the pulley inward. With pressure released, pull the belt off the tensioner pulley to remove the belt from the pulley system.
Place the new belt into the pulley system. Follow your diagram or the diagram printed on the underside of the Buick's hood.
Pull up on the ratchet drive's handle and place the serpentine belt over the pulley. When you let go, the pulley applies tension to the belt.
