# Serpentine belt, water pump, and radiator



## flir (Oct 10, 2005)

The serpentine belt on my daughters 1997 Altima slipped off the pulleys. She may also have a worn water pump. When I looked under the hood, there is no room for hands much less tools. Do I have to remove the wheel and the covering on the inside of the wheel well to gain access? 
The top of the radiator has a large crack and the radiator needs to be replaced. Is removal a major pain in the neck? I'm not familiar with these foreign cars, so any info that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

flir said:


> The serpentine belt on my daughters 1997 Altima slipped off the pulleys. She may also have a worn water pump. When I looked under the hood, there is no room for hands much less tools. Do I have to remove the wheel and the covering on the inside of the wheel well to gain access?
> The top of the radiator has a large crack and the radiator needs to be replaced. Is removal a major pain in the neck? I'm not familiar with these foreign cars, so any info that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.


the belt is actually quite easy to do. you just have to remember the routing of it. to remove the main belt, loosen all three points on the alternator and being careful of the 12volt terminal on the alternator, you move it towards the exhaust manifold. this should give you enough slack on the belt to remove and replace it. dont forget, you must first remove the a/c belt to get to the main belt. theres a tensioner at the bottom the engine that controls the tension of the a/c belt. you can access that by removing the plastic shield. 
for the radiator, its very easy to remove. loosen the clamp from the lower hose where it goes to the thermostat, then loosen the other clamp on the upper hose. remove the overflow hose and move the two brackets out of the way that hold the top of the radiator down. disconnect the 2 fan harnesses and lift the radiator and fan assembly out as one piece. pretty easy. oh yeah, the drain cock is on the drivers side of the radiator down at the bottom of the radiator. you might have to remove the plastic shielding to get to it. 
i think i covered everything... you should be ok, the radiator is seriously about a 15 minute job. good luck.


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