Honda 3.5L V6 Serpentine Belt Replacement

Symptoms

• Squealing sound from the engine bay
• Overheating
• Battery charging failure

What you will need

Parts

• Honda 3.5L Engine Serpentine Belt 
  • PN:56992-RVO-A05 or PN:38920-RCA-A03

Tools

• Wrench or Metric Sockets
  • Tensioner bolt may be 13mm, 14mm or 19mm. 
• Breaker Bar

Procedure

1. Park the vehicle on level ground and set the parking brakes.
2. Allow the engine to cool down.
3. Pull the hood release under the dashboard and open the hood.

    

4. Create a diagram of how the serpentine belt is connected to different pulleys.

    

5. Use a wrench to release the tensioner. Or connect the socket and the breaker bar. Place the socket on the tensioner bolt. Apply thrust toward the back, windshield of the vehicle.

6. Keep on applying pressure until the serpentine belt is loose.

    

7. Remove the belt. 

    

8. Make sure that the old and new belt has the same length. 

9. Route the new belt underneath the crankshaft pulley and the AC compressor.
10. Place the new belt over the idler pulley.
11. Route the new belt to the alternator.
12. Route the new belt underneath the tensioner pulley.
13. Route the new belt on the power steering pump.
14. Move the tensioner the same way that you did earlier when you remove the belt. Slide the drive belt over the tensioner pulley. 
15. Release tension, remove the wrench.
16. Place the power steering reservoir back to the bracket.
17. Make sure the belt is seated properly on each pulley.

Frequently Asked Question

How do you know your serpentine belt is bad?

• One of the most common symptoms of a bad serpentine belt is the presence of squealing sound from the engine compartment; sometimes, the squealing is accompanied by poor AC performance and poor cooling efficiency.

Can you drive a Honda with a bad serpentine belt?

• You can drive a Honda with a bad serpentine belt; however, once the belt gets damaged, the engine overheating, which may lead to catastrophic engine failure might occur. It is not recommended to drive with a damaged serpentine belt. 

Applications

Honda vehicles equipped with J35A6 J35A7 engines typically found on 2005-2012 Honda Pilot, Ridgeline, and Acura MDX. It may also be found on other models. 

J35A6 Engine

• Honda Pilot
• Honda Ridgeline
• Honda Accord V6
• Acura MDX
• Acura RL
• Acura RL

J35A7 Engine

• Honda Pilot
• Honda Ridgeline
• Honda Accord V6
• Acura MDX
• Acura RL
• 2007 + Honda Inspire