Serpentine belt hard to put on??
Marc
A ford technician said I should put a new serpentine belt on because there
were some small cracks in it. Ford says it will cost 85 dollars to do the
job. The part only cost 18 at Auto Zone and I was wondering how difficult
it is to do yourself?
Can you just pull the old one off and wrap the new one on easily? Is 85
dollars reasonable? What if I don't do anything at all and the belt breaks
eventually... can I just replace it then??
Any advice recommended.
-Marc
Suki
> A ford technician said I should put a new serpentine belt on because
> there were some small cracks in it. Ford says it will cost 85
> dollars to do the job. The part only cost 18 at Auto Zone and I was
> wondering how difficult it is to do yourself?
Really easy. About 5min on my '95. I wouldn't pay $85 to have it
changed. The instructions are under the hood on my Explorer. All you
need to do is release the tensioner and slip the belt off and reverse
the process to get the belt back on.
suki
--
| suki | "Hell, if you understand everything I say, |
| Tasuki Hirata | you'd be me." -- Miles Davis |
| sukes @ isr.umd.edu | ** Standard Disclaimers Apply ** |
Marc
belt? What happens if I wait and don't replace it?
Thanks all!
-Marc
Suki wrote in message ...
Stacey
Marc wrote in message ...
>Where is the tensioner?
It is another pully that provides the tension on the belt. If you put a
wrench on the center of the correct pully and pull or push on the wrench
you will see that the tensioning pully moves and the belt goes loose. Just
hold on tight to the wrench and pop the belt off around the tensioning
pully. Then unwind it from the other pullies. Look at the diagram on the
car. It shows the correct routing for the belt. Before putting the new
belt on clean off the old belt residue on the pulleys. Put the new belt on
and then pull in the tentioning pully, wrap the belt in place and let the
tention go again. Do not try to prolong the old belt by using belt dressing
it just makes a mess and it makes more noise. Also do not bother to use any
on the new belt.
> Is the part auto zone sells just as good as a ford
>belt?
Propably about the same. If not replace it when it wears out again. It
only take 10 minutes and it saves a bunch of money.
>What happens if I wait and don't replace it?
It should get real noisy before it breaks. Mine always starts to make noise
in rainy weather when it is about time to replace it.
If it should break when you are on the road you will be sorry.
It is everything.
No power brakes.
No power steering.
No air conditioning (least of your worries).
Most likely no way to fix it since you do not have the wrench or the belt
with you.
Ronald J. Magga
tool) You only but it once! Buy it at Murray's, AutoZone or similar type
auto Parts stores in your area.
I wouldn't pay $85.00 to have a new belt put on!
Dr. Bob
The belt you buy at Autozone is probably fine. I use a Dayco
replacement from Kragen/Trak Auto last time I changed, and it's been
fine. I have been changing every 50k or so, more as PM than becuse it
was torn/worn/failing. I get concerned that my hot weather towing
will shorten the life, and the last thing I need is to be stranded
out on the desrt someplece with a carload of friends and family in 120
degree weather. So it gets changed regularly.
Changing the belt is pretty simple. There's a diagram of the belt
routing on the top of the radiator sheet. If the diagram is gone,
you should make a sketch of all the hubs and wheels in there, and the
route the belt takes around each of them.
You'll want to remove the air duct that lays on the top of the
radiator. Access is easier if you pull that plastic 'snow shield' off
the top of the engine first. An 8mm (or 5/16") wrench fits those two
bolts that hold the snow shield on. Once those are removed, there's
a snap that fits around the idle solenoid-- just pull the plastic
cover to your right a little, then pull the cover straight up to get
it free of the solenoid. With the cover off, you'll be able to get
to the two screw clamps that hold the plastic duct on, one at each
end. With those clamps loose, you can work the ends of the plastic
duct free and place it out of the way. As you can see your access to
the belt is a lot better now.
The belt is held tight by a spring-loaded tensioner pretty much at the
top in the front center of the motor. There's a bolt in the middle of
mine that allows the tensioner to be unloaded with a wrench. With a
5/8" socket or long-handled wrench, turn the bolt counterclockwise
like you are loosening it, and that pulley should lift off the belt
some. Now that you see how it works, go ahead and turn it again,
and CAREFULLY lift the belt off the air conditioning compressor and
the power steering pump pulleys on your right, then go ahead and
release the tensioner slowly. Watch your fingers to make sure they
don't get pinched accidentally.
With the belt off the AC and PS pulleys, you can now proceed to
remove the old belt from around the other pulleys, Besides the AC and
PS, the belt goes around the crankshaft pulley at the bottom, an
idler pulley next to the fan/waterpump pulley, the alternator pulley,
and the tensioner. It actually rides backwards on that water pump
pulley an the midde.
With the old belt off, check the two idler pulleys for smooth
operation. They should turn freely and have almost no wobble at all
when you try to move them crooked. If everything is OK, it's time to
put on the new belt.
The old belt came off around the fan, so start by threading the new
belt back over the fan. Then, using your diagram, route the belt
over all the pulleys and idlers except the power steering and air
conditioner. Just pull the belt up towards them, and make sure that
the belt is sitting correctly in all the other grooved pulleys. You
don't want it riding up on one side or the other. If all is set
correctly below, put your wrench on the tensioner pulley again and
lift the tensioner enough to allow you to put the new belt on the
power steering and air conditioner pulleys again. Be careful to keep
your fingers out of the space between the belt and the pulley when you
do this; a slip of the tensioner will pinch your finger pretty good.
Once the belt is stretched around those last two pulleys, you can
slowly release the tensioner, and let it tighten the belt.
Inspect your work carefully to make sure the belt is around all the
pulleys just like it was in your diagram, and also make sure the belt
is running in the middle of all the pulleys and wheels. It won't last
long if it's on any of them crooked.
If the belt looks OK, go ahead and replace the air duct between the
airflow sensor and the throttle, and put that plastic snow shield
back on.
Start the motor and watch to make sure the belt tracks correctly over
all the pulleys. If all is well, you're done!
This job takes me less than ten minutes since I've done it a couple
times already for various things. You shouldn't need more than maybe
half an hour to do this yourself, so figure that the $85 job, less
maybe $20 for the belt including tax, is paying you over $130/hr.
Hey, that's getting up into doctoring money...
Take a look at the job before you start and make sure you understand
what you'll be doing. The nature of the work has the car undriveable
if you can't finish, so be sure it's within your skill and tool
ability before you start. Don't be afraid to take it to somebody else
besides the Ford store too. Many places have lower overhead, and may
charge less. You'll save some by getting the part yourself too. It
pays to shop around, and you can let your fingers do the walking and
save some drive time. You may even decide that it's OK to pay a
mechanic to do the work for you if the price is right. There's a
discount shop near me that sometimes gets my dirty work. I'm not
ashamed...
Good Luck!
dr bob
dr bob
"Marc" <chec...@msn.com> wrote:
>Anyone... Dr. Bob,
>A ford technician said I should put a new serpentine belt on because there
>were some small cracks in it. Ford says it will cost 85 dollars to do the
>job. The part only cost 18 at Auto Zone and I was wondering how difficult
>it is to do yourself?
>Can you just pull the old one off and wrap the new one on easily? Is 85
Derek R. Larson
$85 they are telling you? Find another dealer! I've had mine changed
twice by two different dealers (it was in for scheduled stuff both times)
and it cost less than $30 for the belt and labor, which seemed fine to me.
-drl
--
________________________________________________________________________
Derek R. Larson Indiana University Dept. of History
"Nothing interesting occurred today..."
-Meriwether Lewis at Ft. Clatsop, Oregon, Jan.4th, 1806
alres1
On my 95 the belt went on easily with out removal of any other parts. Dr.
Bob's 94 may be a little more cofined in that area. On my auto tensioner,
there is a 3/8" square hole in it, that is meant to accept a 3/8" drive
rachet to swing it to the side. If you lay on the ground under the front
bumper, you should be able to see the tensioner. Be carefull as the
tensioner is spring loaded...maybe wear gloves. Also, note if the pulleys
are "in-line" with each other. If the pulley on the auto tensioner is
"cocked" out of line and not parallel with the other pulleys(air conditioner
compressor, alternator, p steering pump, etc.) then it is worn out. Mine
was bad when I chaged the belt at 52,000 miles. My new tensioner was $43
from Ford.
Ted
Charlie Bress
"Dr. Bob" wrote:
>
> The belt is held tight by a spring-loaded tensioner pretty much at the
> top in the front center of the motor. There's a bolt in the middle of
> mine that allows the tensioner to be unloaded with a wrench. With a
> 5/8" socket or long-handled wrench, turn the bolt counterclockwise
> like you are loosening it, and that pulley should lift off the belt
> some.
I just want to add that it is also convenient to have a helper to hang onto the
wrench
while you remove and later replace the belt.
BTW if you wait until the old belt fails, you will lose the use of the
alternator, the water pump, and the power steering. You can't get very far like
that.
John B. Parisi
No - don't wait. The serpentine belt is what ties everything together
in the engine - the alternator, water pump, power steering, air cond,
etc etc etc. If it breaks - you're screwed ! Your vehicle won't run
(at least not for very long).
I replaced the serpentine belt in my Explorer at 30,000 miles. It wasn't
cracked and appeared to be in great condtion. I replaced it because I
did not want to be stranded if/when it breaks. I keep the 'old' belt
with the spare tire and a wrench I need to replace the belt. In the
event that mine breaks, I won't be stranded and it will take all of
5 minutes to get me back on the road.
Maybe a bit cautious but for $18 what the heck......
Marc wrote:
>
> Where is the tensioner? Is the part auto zone sells just as good as a ford
> belt? What happens if I wait and don't replace it?
>
> Thanks all!
>
> -Marc
>
> Suki wrote in message ...
> >"Marc" <chec...@msn.com> writes:
> >
> >> A ford technician said I should put a new serpentine belt on because
> >> there were some small cracks in it. Ford says it will cost 85
> >> dollars to do the job. The part only cost 18 at Auto Zone and I was
> >> wondering how difficult it is to do yourself?
> >
> >Really easy. About 5min on my '95. I wouldn't pay $85 to have it
> >changed. The instructions are under the hood on my Explorer. All you
> >need to do is release the tensioner and slip the belt off and reverse
> >the process to get the belt back on.
> >
> > suki
> >--
> >| suki | "Hell, if you understand everything I say,
> |
> >| Tasuki Hirata | you'd be me." -- Miles Davis
> |
> >| sukes @ isr.umd.edu | ** Standard Disclaimers Apply **
> |
--
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
John B. Parisi Tele - 650.933.6387
Silicon Graphics, Inc. Fax - 650.932.6387
Corporate, I/S Email - jpa...@sgi.com
Manager, Enterprise Network Operations
2011 N. Shoreline Blvd., ms 719
Mountain View, CA 94043-1389
Dr. Bob
something like:
>Marc,
>
>On my 95 the belt went on easily with out removal of any other parts. Dr.
>Bob's 94 may be a little more cofined in that area.
<<rest snipped>>
>Ted
Ted brings up a good point. Almost all of the Explorer experience I
have is with my ancient '92 car. There are differences from year to
year that affect some service procedures, like the way the wrench
fits the tensioner and whether the air duct is in the way on your
particular year. Obviously, you need to adjust the procedure a bit
to suit your particular car.
Obviously, I need to qualify some recommendations with the reminder
that they are based on experience with the early car.
I don't work on cars for a living, and haven't in a lot of years. The
suggestions I post are based on a very limited bit of repair and
maintenance experience, my own on my car. I do the work for amusement
as much as anything, a cruel form of therapy. Anyway, there are
plenty of folks who post suggestions and recommendations based on a
lot more experience than I have. Take it all with a grain of salt and
common sense anyway.
Cheers!
dr bob
Mike Iglesias
Dr. Bob <dr....@worldnet.att.no_spam.net> wrote:
>The belt is held tight by a spring-loaded tensioner pretty much at the
>top in the front center of the motor.
On my 94, the tensioner is down low on the passenger side of the engine.
I had to get to it from under the truck.
--
Mike Iglesias Internet: igle...@draco.acs.uci.edu
University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926
Office of Academic Computing FAX: 949-824-2069
Roy
goes around each pulley. There is a spring-driven pulley that takes up the
slack - use your hand or a wrench to accept the new belt. no big deal.
-Roy '95 xlt 4dr 4wd.
Marc wrote in message <#cHVjllb#GA....@upnetnews02.moswest.msn.net>...
>Anyone... Dr. Bob,
>A ford technician said I should put a new serpentine belt on because there
>were some small cracks in it. Ford says it will cost 85 dollars to do the
>job. The part only cost 18 at Auto Zone and I was wondering how difficult
>it is to do yourself?
>
Mark Barrett
: >Can you just pull the old one off and wrap the new one on easily? Is 85
: >dollars reasonable? What if I don't do anything at all and the belt breaks
: >eventually... can I just replace it then??
The belt is easy to put on. Note there is a picture of how to route it
within the engine compartment. My 9 year son wanted to help so I let him put
it on with a little help from me on the tensioner.
--
Mark Barrett
ma...@col.hp.com
RESPITE95
the time to give of themselves as you do the world would be a better place.
Furthemore, you know your stuff! Thanks, I learn from you often. G. Shelton
Travis Dixon
> Changing the belt is pretty simple. There's a diagram of the belt
> routing on the top of the radiator sheet. If the diagram is gone,
> you should make a sketch of all the hubs and wheels in there, and the
> route the belt takes around each of them.
.
.
.
> This job takes me less than ten minutes since I've done it a couple
> times already for various things. You shouldn't need more than maybe
> half an hour to do this yourself, so figure that the $85 job, less
> maybe $20 for the belt including tax, is paying you over $130/hr.
> Hey, that's getting up into doctoring money...
....and something that nobody has bothered to mention yet is don't throw
away the old belt - put is in a plastic bag and cram it in the back
storage area somewhere so *when* you break the belt you'll have a spare
handy to get you home. You stand a decent chance of a good-samaratin having
an adjustable wrench with them, but not of them having a spare belt :)
Craig Contardi
If you're lucky and get to the change interval for the NEXT belt without
it breaking, do you automatically throw away the FIRST belt (that was
your only spare until now) or do you size it up with the SECOND belt and
keep the more attractive (or less gummy) one?
-Craig
(email address is ckcontardi at erols dot com)