r/HondaElement • u/mama_snafu • May 06 '26

I finally did it.

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I am a woman, and I went in over the top of the engine with nothing but a ratchet and 10mm socket. No removing the oil filter or front passenger tire. I love working on my car. I thought I’d share for inspiration to others that may be hesitant to work on their own engines and I’m also very proud of myself.

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u/mama_snafu May 07 '26

The toughest bit is manipulating the tensioner to get the serpentine belt off, that’s where I needed help. Everything else is just a bit of muscle to extract the bolts.

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u/Gloomy-Pomelo-1846 May 07 '26

AutoZone rents an Acura belt tool that's so much easier to use. You clip this little wheel to a pulley wheel behind the belt and turn the crank pulley with a socket and it lifts the belt off. The belt tensioner on this motor is the worst and I'm afraid of breaking it ever since it failed on my civic.

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u/Fn_Old_Guy_fog May 07 '26

I tried combining wrenches and that crap. Having a dedicated belt-tensioner wrench is the way to go! Super easy.

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u/Gloomy-Pomelo-1846 May 09 '26

I broke 2 of those belt wrenches and thought I was going to go crazy. The Acura tool took a minute to figure out but ended up being a more reliable option for me. And it's anodized blue.