In 1995, all of Oldsmobile’s line of vehicles left the factory with a serpentine-belt system. This system eliminated the need for multiple fan belts by using one belt to route around all the pulleys in a serpentine manner, hence the name. At the time, Oldsmobile recommended inspecting the belt at 30,000 miles, then again at 60,000 miles and at each oil-change interval thereafter. If the belt is missing ribs, fraying, glazed or cracking, replace it immediately. If you possess basic automotive-repair skills, you can replace the serpentine belt on your 1995 Oldsmobile in less than an hour.
Open the hood on your Oldsmobile and look for the belt-routing diagram sticker. This sticker contains an illustration of how the belt routes and where the various pulleys and the tensioner are located.
Insert the end of the belt-tensioner tool into the body of the belt tensioner and move the belt-tensioner pulley away from the serpentine belt with the tool.
Hold the tensioner to the side with the tool while you move the serpentine belt out of the tensioner pulley’s path. Slowly release your pressure on the tensioner and let the tensioner move back to its natural position.
Pull the belt off the various accessory pulleys and the crankshaft pulley by hand. Depending on the model of your Oldsmobile, you may have to climb underneath to access the lower pulleys.
Place one end of each belt, the old and new, under one foot and stretch both belts upward to their full length with your hands. The old belt should be no more than one inch longer than the new belt.
Route the new serpentine belt around the crankshaft pulley and hold it there while you route the belt around each successive pulley, saving the tensioner pulley for last. Consult the belt-routing diagram at each pulley to make sure you are routing the belt properly.
Move the tensioner aside once more with the tensioner tool and place the belt on the tensioner pulley. Move the tensioner slowly back to its normal positioning with the tool and then remove the tool from the engine bay. Close the hood when done.
