How to Replace the Serpentine Belt in a VW Beetle

The Volkswagon Beetle has a serpentine drive belt that powers multiple accessories. Volkswagon uses a popular auto-adjusting belt system for this car. This information refers to the model year range of 1998-2005 for the new VW Beetle. Although these cars generally have similar drive belt setups, check your owner's documentation for specific tools, methods and belts for your Beetle.

Instructions

1

Find the tensioner pulley that holds the serpentine belt in place. This pulley is generally above the crankshaft. For a gasoline engine, you can access it from above. In a diesel Beetle, it's easiest to access the tensioner pulley from below.

2

Make a drawing of how the belt goes around all of the pulleys. You will use this to install the new belt. VW Beetle owners have reported VW does not always include a routing decal, so draw or take pictures for later reference.

3

Use a wrench to rotate the tensioner pulley to decrease tension on the belt. Slip the belt off of the tensioner pulley and release the pulley.

4

Take the old belt off of the pulleys and install the new belt using your belt routing diagram.

5

Rotate the tensioner pulley again to allowint the new belt to sit on the tensioner pulley. Seat the belt and release the tensioner again to get the auto-adjusted tension back on the belt.

6

Check to make the belt is correctly seated on all pulleys. The grooves in the belt should sit in the grooves on the pulley.

7

Run the engine and check for noises, flapping or other signs of incorrect installation.