Hey guys,,

Just wondering if anybody repalced their belts recently..
Trying to get an idea..
I just took off my alternator cover and saw that my belt there isnt looking to good !! Not sure how much life it has left !!!
Any help would be great !!!

Does anybody know ??

About $10-12 for the Alternator and $12-15 for the AC or vice versa....This was through O'Reilly's.

How many miles on your '02?
Mine disintegrated the alternator belt around 58 K miles. In the process, it damaged badly the other belt too. The closest Subaru Dealership had them in stock and I changed both belts in 40 minutes.
Vlad

I think about less than 20 buck to buy them and just install them yourself

Yup..
That is what I plan on doing !!!
My 02 REX has just a bit over 58,000 on her !!!

I just happened to pull off the alternator cover the other day after driving back from Las Vegas and I was like .. HOLY CRAP !!!
I need new belts.. The alternator one is pretty chewed up and the sidewall of the belts are pretty cracked !!

So like $40 for both belts tops ???

Thanks for the help guys !!!

While we are on teh subject,

are there any torque specs I need to consider while removing/ replacing the belts ??

Or any advice that will make this process smoother than I anticipate ??

i found it was a lot easier to remove the alternator tensioner completely even though the manual says you only have to remove the idler/tensioner assembly for the a/c belt

both belts $29.64 w/ tax through Subaru Dealer....i just purchased both last week...

Sweet I will be there on Saturday to pick up the belts !!!

Anything else I should know ??

I often wondered why The belt snapped so early. Usually, this happens with cheap non-original belts.
Measuring properly the tension in a belt is also not easy to do. It's not like having a torque wrench, just put it on the nut, set it and you're ready to go.
Basically,where I am getting with this is that My belts had too much tension in them, I think. I had the main pulley replaced under warranty, and the Subaru Tech went crazy with tensioning. The most noticeable difference was an improvement in the summer, when the A/C kicks in. It used to be a noticeable hesitation, then, with crazy tension, not so much noticeable anymore.
So, I used that rule of thumb, as far as tension. With engine not running, grasped the belt between 2 fingers and tried to twist it. One should be able to twist upto 90 degrees, but not more. As verification, I looked at the belt after starting the engine. If when it runs there is vibration in the belt, I stop the engine, then tighten a bit more.
Also, I think the proper way to do it, (by the book) is to tighten a bit extra, run it for couple minutes, then stop the engine and re-tighten.
This way you alow for the belt to bed in and you get the tension correctly in there.
Each of the tensioner mechanisms has 2 components: the adjustor and the locking. While you adjust, the lock should be loose. When you're done, you lock it down.
In the end, let's not forget the disclaimer:
Choosing to follow or not this text is your choice, if any dammage occurs, it's your fault. I only stated what I did on my car and make no claims to be a scoobie specialist. Be careful with moving parts, do not attempt to work on a running engine, you could get hurt.
Vlad