Fan belt replacement

Having just finished replacing the disappearing fan belt on the daughters Jimny I thought I would pass on what I used to do this task. I took the radiator and fan cowl off because access is very tight and the chances of damaging the rad are high. It is not hard, the worst part is getting the hoses off. There is a drain tap on the bottom of the rad which is a bonus. Two bolts hold the top of the rad on and four bolts hold the fan shroud to the rad.(all 10mm)Once these are removed and the hoses disconnected the rad lifts up (carefully) and the shroud can then be lifted out. In my case the alternator belt was not there but if it is then it is removed after the steering pump belt is removed. This is achieved by loosening the two retaining bolts of its tensioner and using the hexagon hole turning the tensioner to allow the belt to be removed. Then the alternators three retaining bolts need to be loosened to either allow first removal of the old belt and also to be able to fit the new belt. The lower bolt needs a 8mm hexagon (Allen key) drive, the other two require a 12mm socket/ring spanner. Fit the alternator belt first, followed by the pumps belt. Even with the tensioner fully in the release position the belt seems to be too small. If you just get the belt on at the top of the pump pulley and using a 17mm spanner slowly turn the crankshaft clockwise the belt will slip over nicely.

List of tools I found I needed to replace both belts on the DOHC M13A engine.( The G13BB will probably be the same)

1. 12mm socket/spanner for steering belt tensioner and alternator bolts
2. 10mm socket/spanner for rad bolts and fan cowl bolts
3. 17mm spanner for crankshaft bolt
4. 8mm Allen key or drive bit for lower alternator bolt
5. 10mm Allen Key or drive bit for steering tensioner adjuster
6. Good set of pliers like swan necks for rad hose clips and for drain tap if found stiff to turn by hand
7. Thin bladed screw driver used to break the seal on the rad hoses but used with extreme care

Belts I used were from the local General Traffic dealer. Gates make numbers 4PK 830 for the power steering and 4PK 850 for the alternator Cost £18

If you have a cd maintenance manual the page about re-tensioning the steering pump belt is 3B1-3

Hope this helps.

Old thread I know but thanks for the guide.
Did the belts on 2016 Jimny today. Left the radiator in (as it's recently had coolant flush with expensive Suzuki coolant) so undid two 10mm bolts at top and used woodwork clamp to pull rad towards front of car to make bit of space. I bought a cheap 10mm hex key off EB and cut it short for use on the tensioner as made it easier to get socket on bolts at same time. It is fiddly but got the job done in just over an hour. I think next time I'll probs do the routine coolant flush and belt change at same time and have the rad out to make life easier but it wasn't that bad with the rad in.
Buzz.

Taking the rad out on an auto also involves disconnecting the ATF cooler pipes, and ATF will be lost.  It can get messy, so the balance is probably in favour of not renoving it.

Drain the coolant into a suitable bowl/bucket (you should anyway and take it for disposal at the tip recycling centre) and then put it back in, then you only need a small top up for any spills.
There should be a drain valve at the bottom of the radiator, unless it was deleted in a Suzuki cost-cutting exercise.

That was plan B if leaving the rad in had been too difficult.

The drain valve is still there on 2016/17 models.

Buzz.

The mechanic who did my belts got the PAS tension far too slack so the belt was squealing.  I fixed that today, and although the alternator belt tension is just about in spec, I thought I'd loosen the bolts and set it anyway.  Big mistake - the top left bolt was very tight and rounded off even with a 6-point spanner!  It didn't loosen and I didn't touch the other two bolts, so it's fine for...er...possibly the remaining life of the car, but it will eat away at my soul if I don't replace the bolt.  Does anyone know the thread?  I'm guessing M8 x something.

How do you fit the fan belt over the cooling fan?   
My partner has an early Jimny (G13BB with no A/C) and I was going to replace the auxiliary belt which covers the alternator and water pump as well as the second belt which covers the power steering pump along with a tensioner pulley.  I’m just wondering how you fit the auxiliary belt as from a quick look the fan appears to be too big to get the belt over so does it have to be removed or am I imagining things.
thanks,
Paul

The belts can be slid over the fan blades before you place the new around the pulleys.

I did this with the radiator in as well. If you remove the rad, access to the pulleys and bolts will be easier, But it is fully fiddlable with the right tools and spanners.

Do both when you first is at this job anyways.

It doesn't have to go over the whole fan in one big circle. Loop it down between the blades, then the other side will easily slip over.

Thanks for the reply.  By chance I tried the belt over the fan this morning ( while doing a bit of other Jimny work) before reading your reply and realised it could be done. 

I also looked at the potential of moving 5he top of the radiator forwards for more access and noted it would only move about a centimetre before hitting the front body panel.  That gives less extra space lower down so taking the radiator out seems the better approach, albeit its more work.

thanks again,
Paul

Any tips for getting decent leverage on the alternator bolts with the rad in place?  A short 1/4" driver fits inside the shroud but some neanderthal overtightened all the bolts!

I would remove the rad but there is extra mess and complexity with an auto version.

Ring spanner and a couple of blows from a dead blow hammer.