How to - serpentine belt change

[cougarfanatic]

Hey guys just had a question on drive belt change. I have been to autozone twice and still they have told me I have the right belt. I was just wondering if there was any special way to get the belt on that would make it easier.

[Turbo Zetec Tour]

is it a V6 or 4cyl and what year?

on the V6 its easiest from the top, if you have a long enough ratchet, to put the belt on all the pulleys except for the power steering pump. make sure the belt is aligned and seated properly, keep tension on it, pull on the ratchet that you have hooked into the tensioner, and slip the belt over the top of the power steering pump pulley. ease off on the ratchet and make sure the belt is still lined up on all the pulleys properly.

for the 4cyl you are best off going from the bottom through the wheel well. do the same thing only leave it off the water pump pulley instead.

[mmc757]

Replacing Serpentine belt (01 V6 with A/C)
Tools:
3/8 ratchet or breaker bar with a twelve inch pipe that will fit over the handle

Or
Belt removal tool
Great Neck/3/8 in. drive serpentine belt tool with 1/2 in. drive adapter, 13, 15, 16 and 18 mm. sockets (25149) | Serpentine Drive Belt Tool | AutoZone.com

Parts:
Belt. I used a Goodyear Gatorback, part #4060817. Your belt might be different. Some models used a longer belt, and cars without A/C may use a different length as well.
Total time for replacement: 15-25 minutes
1. Study the belt routing drawing on your P side strut tower.

Compare that drawing to what you actually have on your car. On my 2001, the drawing shows an extra idler pulley which does not exist (Probably the reason for the shorter belt). Also, the proportions/orientation isn’t quite the way its drawn, but the path is, so just pay attention to that.

2. Find the tensioner pulley. It is straight down, just forward of the engine mount.

On the pulley itself, there is a 3/8 box cutout to insert the end of your ratchet/breaker bar/removal tool into. Insert your tool.

3. Place the pipe over the end of your tool if you are using one. Sometimes a box end wrench can be used if you get the angle right.

4. Pull toward front of the car to release the tension on the belt.

5. Slip the belt off the top pulley (power steering)
6. Slowly release the torque on your tool and remove it.
7. Work the old belt out off the rest of the pulleys. The only one even remotely tricky is the tensioner pulley. You need to rotate the belt so it is on its edge to slide it out between the pulley and the engine.
8. Carefully inspect and clean all the pulleys as well as possible. Wipe them all down with a cloth. If you use any cleaning solution, make sure it is all off before installing the new belt. Spin the tensioner pulley by hand and make sure it spins freely and doesn’t make any strange noises.
9. Install the new belt on the tensioner pulley, then work the rest from there, Note that the smooth side of the belt rides on the tensioner pulley, and the ribbed side rides on all the others. Save the PS pulley for last.
10. Once the belt is on all the pulleys but the PS, install your tool and move the tensioner pulley as far over as you can. Then slip the belt on the PS pulley. A second set of hands is helpful here, but not required.
11. Inspect all pulleys carefully to make sure the belt is centered on them and the belt is nice and tight. (Without being overly tight)
12. Start your engine, inspect again to make sure it looks good while running (No wobbling, etc)
13. Wash your hands, your filthy.
Note: Some people choose to remove the P side wheel and inner wheel well cover for better access. I have fairly small arms and average sized hands. I recommend sticking your arms in first. If you can reach the bottom of the alternator pulley, and the bottom of the air conditioning pulley, then you can do it all from the top.

[mmc757]

Made that a long time ago but it never made the PDF list.

[LostRacer]

Turn it to a pdf and I'll add it.

[PzKpfw_III]

The tensioner location changed between C1 and C2 models right?

[LostRacer]

Not drastically. They're still overall in the same places. And I'm assuming you mean 99/00 and 01/02...

[PzKpfw_III]

Yeah. The european model for 99/00 was designated C1 and 01/02 obviously designated C2. I know they weren't called that here, but it's a bit easier than having to write out dates.

Is that a special thin ratchet? I couldn't get my standard Craftsmen ratchet in that space and ended up just removing the motor mount and disconnecting the PS line to use a serp tool. When I talked to a couple of Ford techs they said that was actually the official Ford way of changing the belt.

[mmc757]

Is that a special thin ratchet?

Nope, just a regular old 3/8" craftsman...

[PzKpfw_III]

Damn, well two of us couldn't get a standard 3/8" craftsman into that space. Perhaps the slightly different placement allowed just enough clearance.