You have to be doing something wrong, is when removing use the breaker bar slip it off the tensioner pulley onto socket then just release tensioner. To put it back on feed it around everything then put it on the right side of the socket turn the tensioner and slide it right on release and done. I will say the belt is kind of a dick around the water pump and the secondary air hose and can get jammed there sometimes it helps to remove the secondary air pipe bracket.