So I’ve been doing some more work on the truck.

I just replaced serpentine belt, tensioner and both idler pulleys. old belt was worn on 1 side. So I did the gates kit.

it’s drove fine for a couple short trips.

today I hear a loud and frequent clicking which seems to coincide with visual slight movements front to back of serpentine belt.

I thought it was AC clutch since it clicks when rotating. AC/defrost functions work as they have been. I listened further down towards power steering pump and put my hand on it. The clicking and vibration mimic when my hand is on pump body. The power steering works and not low on fluid. Only thing I noticed is when parked and idling I turn the wheel (left/right) the rpm’s drop a little (like 150). But no unusual noise.

I loosened the belt tensioner and wiggled all pulleys. No movement but the Power steering pulley slides in/out about a strong 1/4”. Does not wobble while idling.

is this normal for the power steering pulley to move in/out? I thought this may be because it’s location in close proximity to vacuum pulley and drive pulley. ??? 🤷‍♂️

I can’t see this movement when truck is idling. But I noticed the clicking and slight movement of serpentine belt mimic as well. This clicking is independent and consistent from the AC clutch clicking.

given the ware on the old belt on on 1 side, it makes me think something is misaligned. I’ve been extra careful on matching the grooves on new belt during installation. I even double checked it today.

any ideas?

if it’s the power steering pulley, can it be replaced by itself or does it need pump too?


how do I remove the pulley? I see a large Allen looking bolt in the center of it. Does it need a pulley puller?

thank for reading!

 

Yes a puller and an installer is needed
The tools are not too expensive to buy and Autozone or parts stores rent the tools free

 

so to be clear, the sliding movement of the power steering pulley in and out is not normal?

thanks

 

Looked into it a little more and I can see the serpentine belt movement on drive pulley. When I turn on AC, the belt moves a lot and I can hear it slap because it rolls up on drive pulley edge then slaps back down.

I put on old tensioner and it still does it.

new belt defective?

 

The power steering pump pulley moves in and out or fore and aft roughly 1.8 to 3/32 (normal)
The shaft in the pump is held in place by a large c clip and the slot or groove is way bigger than the c clip (hence the shaft movement)
If you are dealing only with belt slap?
The tensioner bushing gets worn and then the tensioner does not move freely
A new Ford tensioner and the exact correct length Ford belt should solve that issue

 

ok. So I took off this new Gates belt and found my old Motorcraft belt that I took off for replacement. Compared the length and they are good but the old belt is a 7 rib vs new belt is an 8 rib. Didn’t really pay attention to that part.

everywhere I look my 95 comes up as needing an 8 rib. but clearly the wider belt is rolling up on crank shaft pulley then slapping.

I managed to find part # off the old Ford belt
(F6TZ-8620-GA). Which is discontinued by ford. Go figure!! I can’t find a replacement part #? I have 2 idlers and single tensioner.

so I looked up belts for a 94 model truck which are 7 rib. Ordered a few different types so I hope 1 fits.

thanks

 

Late 94 and early 95 took the 7 rib. I think they changed to 8 rib mid 95. IIRC

 

you are right. I’ve done further reading and this seems to be a common issue. I need to check groove counts on all pulleys.

one person suggested that moving power steering pulley out towards the front a bit cured this. Maybe my power steering pulley is too far in. I can feel any play in any other pulleys (up/down nor in/out) besides power steering pump pulley.


thank you

 

That power steering pulley is supposed to move in and out (and it's not an issue) (it will self track like a convex idler)
So a Motorcraft JK7 then the 920 or 1060 length or whatever the original belt said for length
Have someone cross that # for you
Spin the other idler and tensioner pulleys by hand and check for raspy or noisy and replace as necessary
Good luck
The pulley shaft from the factory is 1/32 proud on the pulley if you know what that means an d some of the bevel is beyond the pulley

 

i dug through the truck and found the belt #.

the short is “proud”, exposing some of the bevel.

I counted all the grooves on each pulley and there are 7 ridges and 8 valleys, which signifies an 8 rib I’m guessing.

I checked all the gates replacement idler pulleys and tensioner. They feel fine and no noise.

I throughly visually checked each pulleys rotation for any variance in alignment or wobble. They all looked good.

so unless I’m missing something as to why the 8 rib belt seems to visually slide forward/back slightly why passing over water pump then rolling up on block side of craft shaft pulley about 1 rib then slapping. I’m a little lost…

I’ll wait to see if the new 7 rib belts I ordered will fit correctly. Fingers crossed

 

I might have misread this but did you mod to the dual pulley? Mine did what your saying and the dual pulley mod cured it.

 

i wanted to install dual but no I went with a Gates belt kit which has tensioner, belt and both idler pulleys.

I did some research on the dual and saw some mixed info as to belt sizes following the change.

you think the lack of tension with single is the issue?

can you provide me some information on the dual system and belt #? I’d rather install it and be done! Tired of this guy chewing belts!

when I cleaned the valley and did a full rebuild of the front suspension i found a few pieces of belts randomly.

I have a 5/1995 F250 xlt extended cab with 2WD. If that makes a difference in utilizing this mod.

thanks

 

Its been so long since I did the dual pulley I don't know where that info is at. Do a search or google it I guess or someone will come up with the instructions.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ne-w-pics.html

 

Just installed the BT-50 and a JK81227 belt, problem fixed! Removed and modified bracket that holds alternator and idler pulleys/tensioner. No squeaking or belt slapping. Feels good while driving too.

I do have a question, when I remove the bracket I noticed a lot of oil, not so much new but definitely a slow leaking that has dripped down over time. What is typical cause of oil leaking in this area? Seems to be near valley and has come down along exhaust back pressure tube route. I did see oil feed that goes into front passenger head. There is so much oil residue that it’s hard to tell. I cleaned the area from behind bracket along tube and down to engine ground bracket.

Hopefully will see residue of fresh oil to help locate its point of origin. I am lean towards a slow leaking from oil feed at front passenger head. Maybe an oring? I don’t have leaks at rear of valley or dip stick anymore since I repair those sources with new deleted ped and ORings.

so hard to see down there by ipr or that hpop area that faces the valley. But I checked the hpop reservoir and its full.

thanks in advance.