How do you replace the belts on a 99 bmw 323i?

My belts popped on my car this weekend. The belts are now completely off but it is hard to put them back on. Does anyone have a diagram on how to put them back on? By the way when the belt popped my battery light came on, the car started to overheat and the steering became tough. Is that normal when that happens on a BMW? Please help!!!!! The tensioner was loosen to try and apply the new belts.|||The 323 comes with one serpentine belt that runs all the above.





Changing the belt is a frickin' nightmare. The tensioner is supposed to loosen 'quiet easily' if you have a correct tool, which most 323's seem to be missing from the little tool kit on the trunk lid, plus you might need to remove the radiator cowl and fan (!) to reach all the parts.





Go to the first link, and save the diagram (hopefully in color) - Print it out and laminate it if you must. The pattern of the belt is very important, and if you also have a/c, you will need to remove that belt before placing the main belt on.





http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/3-serie…





This link has some decent photos, though I tend to think that either my car is out to drive me insane (pun intended), or it really is that easy:





http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarti…|||There are two belts on the 323i. The main serpentine belt is what runs the water pump, alternator and power steering (which is why you had the symptoms you experienced when it failed). The second belt runs the A/C compressor.





It's unusual for the belt to throw itself off, unless there's something else wrong. Does the alternator turn properly? Ditto the water pump (and no leaks!), power steering pump and all the idler pulleys? Does the tensioner move so that it's maintaining tension on the belt?





Once you find the root cause, fix it and replace the belt. If the belts are original, or show any signs of cracking, just replace them with new ones. It's a little it of a PITA, but not too hard if you're used to working on cars. The link supplied by the other poster is useful. In that they indicate that you don't have to remove the fan, but it's easier if you do. Remember that the fan is reverse threaded, so it's "righty-loosey", and that the A/C belt has to come off to replace the serpentine belt.