'Noo Way:' Mechanic Shares Hack for Getting Behind Serpentine Belt. But Does It Work?

There are few things more painful for a seasoned mechanic than realizing you’ve wasted years doing something the slow way. A recent viral video captured that exact moment. It’s sent the car world spiraling into a debate about belt tensioners, stretch belts, and the ever-evolving “right” way to do a simple job.

The Facebook Reel from online creator and apparent gearhead Paul Buening (TaCo Reacts on Facebook) shows him reacting with shock and anger at a workaround for releasing tension on a serpentine belt without using a wrench or tensioner tool, by simply pulling the belt in a specific direction to make the spring-loaded assembly pivot and slip free.

“Eleven years in the [expletive] car industry… never knew it,” he says in the clip that’s been viewed more than 442,000 times.

That expletive moment wasn’t just an entertaining meltdown. It exposed how little of the cumulative “shop knowledge” is documented or standardized, and how many techs still labor under suboptimal assumptions. The trick itself is only visible in flashes: a belt tug, a pulley shift, and then his reaction. Many viewers immediately flooded the comments, dissecting the makes, models, and whether the “hack” is legitimate or dangerous.

One commenter speculated that this ability is common on some European makes: “That is very likely a BMW, Audi/VW.” Another added, “Nissan and Toyota do this,” pointing out that some tensioner designs allow belt tension to be relieved by manipulating the belt itself. Others countered, “Not all of them have it,” warning that many vehicles still require a square-drive or breaker bar in the tensioner’s slot. Several voices emphasized safety: “Do that with an old belt … had a few snap … ended up with [cuts].”

The Serpentine Belt Secret

To understand why the trick works in some cases and not others, it helps to revisit how serpentine belt tensioners function. In modern accessory drive systems, a single belt loops around multiple pulleys (the alternator, power steering, AC compressor, and idlers) to transfer power. A tensioner, typically a spring-loaded arm with a pulley, dynamically maintains the correct belt tension, compensating for thermal expansion, belt wear, and load changes. A well-designed tensioner aims to keep tension nearly constant across adjacent belt spans even as the belt elongates over time.

Some tensioners are “pivoting” types that move in an arc, while others slide in and out in a slot—both with the aim of preventing slip, vibration, and premature belt wear. In many engines, engineers include a square-drive or hex slot on the tensioner arm explicitly so that a mechanic can insert a tool and move the arm to relieve tension safely.

In certain designs, the tensioner mounting or the accessory that the belt runs over has enough flexibility so that a judicious pull on the belt can cause the whole assembly to rotate or deflect, effectively offloading tension without using the prescribed tool. That appears to be exactly what happened in Buening’s clip: the belt itself became the lever, nudging the tensioner arm and freeing the belt from its path.

Should You Proceed with Caution?

But that convenience comes with caveats. As several commenters warned, old or brittle belts may snap under tension. Components might bind or resist flex. And in tight engine bays, hands can slip into fan blades or belt teeth. Worse, repeatedly abusing such a trick could fatigue the tensioner’s spring or misalign the pulleys.

Still, as many in the comments pointed out, once you see it, you can’t un-see it. One mechanic admitted, “I have 20 years, had no clue you could do that.” Another couldn’t believe how many years he’d been grinding through the same job. Some quipped, “Works great if you have a hoist handy,” while others insisted, “Just grab a breaker bar and socket, don’t overcomplicate it.”

That tension between “elegant trick” and “reckless shortcut” is at the core of the debate. In many shops, standard procedure still mandates using the proper tool to release tension the way the service manual prescribes, especially because belt tensioners are engineered parts with published specifications and failure tolerances.

When OEMs design a tension­er with a service slot or locking pin, they expect the belt to be removed or installed via that method. But newer generations of engines are pushing the envelope of compactness, minimal access, and lower tolerances. Some engineers believe in letting spring geometry and flex paths absorb minor misalignments, but that makes the system fragile if abused.

For gearheads and professional techs, this viral moment is a reminder that vehicle serviceability continues to shift with every design iteration. It underscores that even veteran techs might have overlooked features, and that the best tool in a shop is sometimes knowledge, not brute force.

Motor1 reached out to Buening via email. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.