Hello! New here! I have a 2006 and am trying to replace both belts (squealing is driving me nuts!). I've read the posts on replacing them so I get the basics. My problem is that I loosened the top bolt with the alternator and then tried loosening the bottom one but with no luck. Seems like the bolt is a bit rounded down and it's so damn tight in there to get any kind of hold. And the alternator will not move. Is there any other route here? I'm new to these Scions and am not interested in dishing out tons of money to a mechanic when it's something I can do myself. Thank you in advance!
Krystle

 

Rounded bolt heads are a bear - and tough to fix over the internet. Have you tried letting Penetrating Oil soak the threads overnight? Also, Snap-On, Craftsman and a number of other tool manufacturers make special sockets designed specially to grip rounded off bolt / nut heads. You might want to check them out.


I will offer another thing I learned the hard way on belts. Make sure you use Toyota / Scion belts. I replaced the OEM belts on my first xB with aftermarket belts only because the car had 80,000 miles on it. Within a week, I had a light squeal under the hood. I had a friend who works at a Toyota dealership look at it. The first thing he said was: "Aftermarket belts. Get rid of them and you'll be fine." As much as I thought he was full of it, I followed his advice. Problem solved.