CX-9 Power Steering Belt Replacement

[dougtex28]

I did not see any good DIYs on how to replace the Power Steering Belt and it was a bit tricky, so figured I would share.

Unlike the primary drive belt that goes to the alternator and ac compressor, the power steering belt does not use a tensioner or adjustable mount to allow for the belt to be slipped on and then tightened. It uses a stretch belt and this was the first time I have tried to install one of these. There were some tools out there that I tried, but none seemed to work properly for this particular vehicle. Many of the slip belt vehicles allow for the belt to go over the accessory (power steering pulley in this case) and then is "slipped" onto the crankshaft pulley. This will not work on the CX-9 because the power steering belt goes on the back side of the crankshaft pulley and it would have to fit over the larger primary drive pulley portion (the crankshaft pulley has two sections on it, one for the primary belt in the front and one for the power steering belt in the back) which proves to be too large to stretch over as I tried this first and broke the belt.

Here is a pic of the crankshaft pulley so you can see what I mean:


Here is what did work:

Step 1: Use three large zip ties to attach the power steering belt to the bottom of the power steering pulley (see pic below)



Step 2: Slip the belt over the crankshaft pulley to the back set of groves.

Step 3: This will probably take two people. Grab the power steering pulley and put tension on the belt by rotating it clockwise.

Step 4: While keeping tension on the belt, rotate the crankshaft clockwise (always only rotate the crankshaft clockwise, rotating it counter-clockwise can cause the timing chain to bind and result in damage). You should feel the power steering pump rotating clockwise as well, if it is not then you need to put more tension on it. After it has rotated about 90 degrees it will get really tight as it reaches the maximum stretch point, after that it will slip onto the pulley. Once it has rotated 180 degrees it should be all the way on.

Step 5: If you are about to cut the zip ties off, you can do it after the belt is all the way, but if it is too difficult to get at you can just rotate the crankshaft a little more and the pressure should just break them. Be sure to remove the broken zip ties.

I hope this helps!

 

[table5511]

Yeah, when I did mine, I bought the useless tool on Scamazon that doesn't fit because the frame rail is in the way. A buddy and mine scratched our heads for a real long time. After more beer, the lightbulb finally turned on to ziptie the belt to the pulley to get the new one on. Kept breaking the zipties, had to use half a dozen to get it to fully rotate up and over the ps pulley. The serp belt was easy though. The stretch belt - not so much fun.

 

[diycx9]

Hi everyone, I just changed my power steering belt using the Ford SST ( OTC 303-1252, ebay $100!). I could not find Mazda SST online but I took a chance that this would work since the CX9 uses the Ford engine. As a backup I was going to use the zip-tie method or try the Gates generic tool.

Belt removal: After removing the generator belt I used the SST wedge and at it came off after the crank was turned maybe 30 degrees.

Belt installation: A bit trickier even with the SST. I placed the PS belt around the crank pully, placed the SST on the PS pulley and placed the belt on the SST. I then rotated the crank clockwise while applying upward pressure on the SST. If you don't apply pressure to the SST the belt just slips. You need to apply pressure on the SST as you turn the crank until the SST is near the top of the PS pulley or else it will fall off ( this happened a couple of times). Once I figured out that I had to keep constant pressure on the SST it only took a few minutes to get it the belt on.


Ford versus Mazda SST: If you can get it I would go with the Mazda tool. It looks like it has a metal slug on the side which inserts into one of the pulley holes. This should prevent the slipping issues and I think the installation would be alot easier.


I know $100 is alot to spend on the SST but I was more comfortable with it versus the zip tie method.I also bought the Gates generic tool. I think it it is OK width wise but I did not try it.

Bottom line: I think the tool helped alot and was worth the purchase price. Total time including

 

[jhentr]

Thx! Will keep this zip tie idea in mind for my future replacement.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[ROLANDVZ71]

This procedure worked like a champ for the smaller belt! I had an issue with the bigger belt. I could not get the tensioner to move over enough to slip the belt over the pulleys. I was using a serpentine belt tool from Harbor Freight which worked well. I needed another 2 inches for the tensioner to move over......so I cut out a narrow piece into the plastic front of the car about 2-3 inches to give me that extra room I needed. Once I did that the belt went on with no issues.....total time can be literally 20-25 minutes from start to finish. I will update and post pics.....

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[Sekitchens1]

I did not see any good DIYs on how to replace the Power Steering Belt and it was a bit tricky, so figured I would share.

Unlike the primary drive belt that goes to the alternator and ac compressor, the power steering belt does not use a tensioner or adjustable mount to allow for the belt to be slipped on and then tightened. It uses a stretch belt and this was the first time I have tried to install one of these. There were some tools out there that I tried, but none seemed to work properly for this particular vehicle. Many of the slip belt vehicles allow for the belt to go over the accessory (power steering pulley in this case) and then is "slipped" onto the crankshaft pulley. This will not work on the CX-9 because the power steering belt goes on the back side of the crankshaft pulley and it would have to fit over the larger primary drive pulley portion (the crankshaft pulley has two sections on it, one for the primary belt in the front and one for the power steering belt in the back) which proves to be too large to stretch over as I tried this first and broke the belt.

Here is a pic of the crankshaft pulley so you can see what I mean:
View attachment 215068

Here is what did work:

Step 1: Use three large zip ties to attach the power steering belt to the bottom of the power steering pulley (see pic below)

View attachment 215067

Step 2: Slip the belt over the crankshaft pulley to the back set of groves.

Step 3: This will probably take two people. Grab the power steering pulley and put tension on the belt by rotating it clockwise.

Step 4: While keeping tension on the belt, rotate the crankshaft clockwise (always only rotate the crankshaft clockwise, rotating it counter-clockwise can cause the timing chain to bind and result in damage). You should feel the power steering pump rotating clockwise as well, if it is not then you need to put more tension on it. After it has rotated about 90 degrees it will get really tight as it reaches the maximum stretch point, after that it will slip onto the pulley. Once it has rotated 180 degrees it should be all the way on.

Step 5: If you are about to cut the zip ties off, you can do it after the belt is all the way, but if it is too difficult to get at you can just rotate the crankshaft a little more and the pressure should just break them. Be sure to remove the broken zip ties.

I hope this helps!

Thanks, this helped alot. I couldn't get it all the way seated by manually turning, so I bumped the start switch a couple of times to finish it off.