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On the 5th generation CR-V the accessory belt job itself is simple — one belt, one automatic tensioner, no adjustment — but the access is the whole story. There is no useful room from above, so the right front wheel and inner fender liner come off and you work through the wheel well with a long 1/2 inch breaker bar and a 14 mm socket on the tensioner pulley bolt. Budget most of your time for liner clips, not for the belt.
The mistake people make is not photographing the routing before the belt comes off, then guessing which side of the flat idler the smooth back of the belt rides on. The second mistake is assuming a hybrid has a belt — it does not. Check the belt for oil contamination too; on the 1.5 turbo an oil-soaked belt points at a leak that will eat the new one.
| Item | Type | Product search |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum, lifts at pinch-weld jack point Raises the passenger front corner to remove the wheel. | Required | search retailer |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair Supports the car once raised; never work off the jack alone. | Safety | search retailer |
| Wheel chocks Blocks the rear wheels while the front is lifted. | Safety | search retailer |
| Socket, lug nuts 19 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (thin-wall or protective socket on alloys) Removes the right front wheel — all 5th gen CR-V lug nuts are 19 mm. | Required | search retailer |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 18-24 in Loosens lug nuts and, more importantly, gives leverage on the belt tensioner. | Required | search retailer |
| Socket set with ratchet 3/8 in drive, 10 mm and 12 mm sockets Removes the inner fender liner bolts (10 mm) and any splash shield brackets. | Required | search retailer |
| Extension bar 3/8 in drive, 3 in and 6 in Reaches liner fasteners behind the bumper edge. | Required | search retailer |
| Trim clip / panel removal tool Plastic pry set Pops the push-pin clips holding the wheel-arch liner and mud flap without breaking them. | Required | search retailer |
| Phillips screwdriver #2 Some liner screws are Phillips-head plastic screw rivets. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Socket for belt tensioner 14 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (deep socket helps) Fits the auto-tensioner idler pulley center bolt so you can swing the tensioner arm and release belt tension. | Required | search retailer |
| Serpentine belt tool kit Low-profile belt tool with 1/2 in drive and offset crowfoot sockets Optional but makes tensioner access far easier in the tight 1.5T bay; a breaker bar and 14 mm socket will do it. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 20-150 ft-lb Torques the lug nuts back to spec. | Required | search retailer |
| LED work light or headlamp The tensioner and belt routing are buried behind the crank pulley area. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Inspection mirror Telescoping Confirms the belt is fully seated in every pulley groove before starting the engine. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Serpentine drive belt 1.5L turbo: Honda 31110-5PA-A01 or equivalent; 2.4L: 31110-5A2-A20 or equivalent — buy by VIN The replacement belt; 1.5T and 2.4 belts are different lengths and rib counts. | Parts | search retailer |
| Belt tensioner assembly With pulley, engine-specific Only if the tensioner is weak, noisy, or the pulley bearing is rough — check while the belt is off. | Parts | search retailer |
| Nitrile gloves Keeps grease and pinch injuries off your hands near the tensioner. | Safety | search retailer |
| Safety glasses Road grit falls out of the wheel well and fender liner. | Safety | search retailer |
| Brake cleaner or degreaser Aerosol Cleans oil or coolant residue off pulleys; contaminated pulleys chirp a new belt. | Consumables | search retailer |
1.5L turbo (L15BE) and 2.4L (K24W) both use a 19 mm lug nut, 14 mm tensioner pulley bolt, and 10 mm fender liner bolts, but the belts are different lengths and rib counts, so order by VIN. The 1.5T bay is tighter around the engine mount bracket, where a low-profile serpentine belt tool earns its money. The 2020-2022 Hybrid (2.0L LFA two-motor) has no accessory drive belt, so none of this applies to it.
| Wheel lug nuts | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
| Belt tensioner pulley center bolt | verify in the service manual |
| Tensioner assembly mounting bolts to block | verify in the service manual |
| Inner fender liner bolts | about 7 ft-lb (9 Nm) — snug only, plastic and sheet metal |
No. The two-motor hybrid system uses an electric A/C compressor and electric power steering, and the generator is inside the transmission, so there is no accessory drive belt to service on the hybrid.
A 14 mm 6-point socket on the tensioner idler pulley's center bolt, driven with a 1/2 inch breaker bar or serpentine belt tool for leverage. A short ratchet will not give you enough swing in the wheel well.
Practically, yes. There is no clear path to the tensioner from the top of the engine bay, so remove the right front wheel and the inner fender liner (10 mm bolts, push-pin clips, and Phillips screw rivets) to get a bar on the tensioner and feed the belt out.
You don't — the automatic spring tensioner sets it. If the new belt squeals or chirps, the cause is a contaminated pulley, wrong belt length, or a worn tensioner/idler bearing, so inspect and spin every pulley while the belt is off.