I'm pretty sure the serpentine fan belt on my '04 Ranger with a 3.0 L motor is going bad. My Ranger has 40,000 miles on it and the belt is the original. The squealing noise started slowly, over a period of months, and has progressed to a VERY loud squealing that does not stop.

I used belt dressing and it helped for a short time, but then the noise came back louder than ever within an hour. Now it will wake the dead.

Apparently, from what I have read, this belt has no tension adjustment. How do I change it?? There is a good diagram under the hood of how it runs around the various pulleys. But does it simply slip off and on? Any tips would be truly appreciated.

Thanks so very much,
Ted

 

40k miles and the belt is bad already?? I traded in my 99 Ranger for a 2004 in March of this year..I had almost 100k miles on my 99 with the original belt that was in great shape...I know the belt is an easy fix but I would make sure you dont have a bearing or something going out on one of the tention pulleys too....

 

have a look at this site may be helpful , there is a tensioner..https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...x.php/t-133288

 

Thanks guys for your help. The problem ended up being the tensioner pulley bearings. Both the pulley and the belt had to be replaced. i thought seriously about doing the repair myself, but opted to take it to our local fast lube place. They also replace serpentine belts and had the fancy smancy long thin ratchet to make quick work of the repair. This tool fits easily between the fan and the housings. Total cost for the repair was $72.

Ted

 

I thought my belt was going bad too. I took it to my local Lincoln Mercury dealer... New serpentine belt and tensioner R/R cost me about $90 + tax. My bearings in my belt tensioner assumed room temperature.

I learned that my local Lincoln/Mercury dealer offered the same services at a fraction of the cost, as compared to the local FORD dealers.

Maybe you can use this next time you need a repair, since the makes/models are alike in many situations.

Shawn