I had been focused on trim and am still making way on all of that. Now something more critical has come up and it turns out, it's a HECK of a job. Since getting the car it had a light chirping upon startup which steadily got quieter. It has been getting louder and now needs to be addressed. Well, it was diagnosed as the supercharger belt. I thought "Serpentine belt, that should be easy" (sigh) seems like on this model you need to remove half of the engine to replace either belt, and then it has to have TWO of them.

So here's a photo to allow viewers to see what we're dealing with. Anyone familiar with it? Please let me know before I start taking this apart, what I'm getting myself into. On one hand, it's just taking stuff off and putting it back, on the other hand, I'm smart enough to know that some learning experiences aren't worth the trouble. I submit then to the great gurus of the Pontiac Bonneville Club.

What is involved in removing and replacing the belt(s) on a 1997 SSEi? How long would this take if someone knew what they were doing? What if someone was learning as they went? Does this job benefit from a lift or is it as easily completed from above? Please use the diagram to let me know what we're looking at and thanks all in advance.

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'97 SSEi, Majestic Teal / Beige interior, Bose, HUD, iPod ready! - SOLD! Check it out!
'99 Buick Regal LSE, Matador Red / Beige interior - SOLD! Check it out!
'96 Chevy Camaro - White w/Black / fire red interior, 3800, manual, loaded, T-tops, Bose - SOLD! Check it out!

It way easier than it looks. All you need is a T-50 torx bit to release the tension of the tensioner pulley and remove the belt. Its the pulley in the picture circled in red.



When your installing the belt follow the belt diagram on this picture



It took me & my dad 10mins to replace mine, and we were first timers lol.

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2000 SSEi 4th Pontiac!! 231,xxx Current mods: Gutted AirBox w/ K&N drop in. Cleared Corners. Future mods: 3.5 pulley, 180* tstat, hi flow cat, solid motor mounts, Red-Tinted Turn Signal Tails, Projector Headlights, Turn Signal Mirrors.

A little searching will do wonders

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =53&t=2652

It way easier than it looks. All you need is a T-50 torx bit to release the tension of the tensioner pulley and remove the belt. Its the pulley in the picture circled in red.



When your installing the belt follow the belt diagram on this picture



It took me & my dad 10mins to replace mine, and we were first timers lol.

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2000 SSEi 4th Pontiac!! 231,xxx Current mods: Gutted AirBox w/ K&N drop in. Cleared Corners. Future mods: 3.5 pulley, 180* tstat, hi flow cat, solid motor mounts, Red-Tinted Turn Signal Tails, Projector Headlights, Turn Signal Mirrors.

Jonneville, I suggest if you haven't done so that you click on the TECHINFO link (two of them prominently placed on the main forum index) and browse through the articles.

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Click here for mod list for both cars
93 SSEi, 95 SLE (supercharged) 97 Buick LeSabre Limited
PontiacDad at WCBF '04: Cruise control? That's like surrendering!
Comprehensive guide to troubleshooting, rebuilding, and modifying Eaton Superchargers

@2000 Grey SSEi: Yeah, 10 minutes on the 2000 model, more like 1 hour (or so I've read) on the 90's models. One BIG improvement on the later models which, in this case doesn't apply to me. According to the link from Sonoma (above) it can take as little as 15 minutes when you've been through it already.

@ Sonoma: That's EXACTLY what I was looking for, what a great description too, photos and all, thanks for the link. I didn't search for "accessory belt" or would have probably found that. I did a "little" searching but one never knows when you may be close or heading toward fruitless (so I ask the group who may already know if such an article exists. I think my search for "serpentine belt" or "belt replacement" wasn't getting me anywhere at supercharger speed. But asking you got me right to the point. GREAT LINK!!!

@WillWren: I'll review that part of the site.
-Thanks gents.

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'97 SSEi, Majestic Teal / Beige interior, Bose, HUD, iPod ready! - SOLD! Check it out!
'99 Buick Regal LSE, Matador Red / Beige interior - SOLD! Check it out!
'96 Chevy Camaro - White w/Black / fire red interior, 3800, manual, loaded, T-tops, Bose - SOLD! Check it out!

I just noticed something. Is there a reason this is posted in the 2000 and newer section? Not a good fit, their belt change procedure is a bit different. Posting in the proper section will get you better help.

Moving to 92-99.

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Click here for mod list for both cars
93 SSEi, 95 SLE (supercharged) 97 Buick LeSabre Limited
PontiacDad at WCBF '04: Cruise control? That's like surrendering!
Comprehensive guide to troubleshooting, rebuilding, and modifying Eaton Superchargers

I'm feeling fairly confident that I'd placed my original request in the 92~99 section. I know that I know better so if I had not, it was an oversight but I seriously think my post would have gone in 92~99 unless you're referring to the replacement procedure. Of course I could have made an error, either way I'll be sure to triple check where my posts begin.

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'97 SSEi, Majestic Teal / Beige interior, Bose, HUD, iPod ready! - SOLD! Check it out!
'99 Buick Regal LSE, Matador Red / Beige interior - SOLD! Check it out!
'96 Chevy Camaro - White w/Black / fire red interior, 3800, manual, loaded, T-tops, Bose - SOLD! Check it out!

After completing this with a friend of mine (a pro mechanic) it turned out that both belts were a pretty big hassle to remove and replace. The suggestion above that you can just remove the tensioner pulley seems inaccurate as we apparently had to detach an engine mount (to the left of the red circles above) and then had to work the belt through a space the same size as the belts thickness to get it through. We did both belts that day (the main and supercharger). An upper mount needed to be removed for one belt (I think that was the super charger) and a lower mount for the main belt which also required taking off the wheel and opening the panel behind it to access the lower side of the engine. Glad I shouldn't need to go back there for a while (we're hoping)

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'97 SSEi, Majestic Teal / Beige interior, Bose, HUD, iPod ready! - SOLD! Check it out!
'99 Buick Regal LSE, Matador Red / Beige interior - SOLD! Check it out!
'96 Chevy Camaro - White w/Black / fire red interior, 3800, manual, loaded, T-tops, Bose - SOLD! Check it out!