Saturn vehicles use a serpentine belt system to drive engine accessories such as the alternator, power steering pump and the air conditioning compressor. Unlike older systems, which required a separate drive belt for each accessory, a serpentine belt system uses a single belt to drive all of the engine's accessories. The serpentine belt is kept tight by a tensioner pulley mounted to the front of the engine. If this tensioner begins to malfunction, it will lessen the tension on the belt and lower the efficiency of your engine's accessories.
The serpentine belt tensioner on a Saturn vehicle is bolted to the front of the engine on the passenger's side of the engine bay. To find the belt tensioner, open the hood and look between the engine and passenger-side inner fender. The belt tensioner is between the crankshaft pulley and the alternator pulley.
Attach a 14 mm or 9/16-inch wrench to the bolt head at the center of the tensioner pulley. Rotate the tensioner pulley away from the engine until the drive belt becomes loose. Remove the drive belt from the engine. Place a 1-inch by 1-inch x 2-inch wooden block between the torque strut located just below the crankshaft and the vehicle's frame. Use a socket remove the two bolts that connect the tensioner to the engine and remove the tensioner from the vehicle.
