Serpentine Belt Question
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Serpentine Belt Question
Aerostar owners/techs. Could I please ask you a question, to settle a friendly disagreement, without the benefit of a factory service manual in front of me. What is the correct procedure to remove the serpentine belt on a 1987 3.0 V6 Aerostar? Should you remove the alternator bolts, giving slack in the alternator and then remove the belt? Or, should you remove the tensioner bolts? Should a new tensioner be installed with the new serpentine belt? Lastly, what is the correct procedure to change the power steering belt? Thank You, in advance, for any thoughts on this topic. Frankly, I trust the people here more than some (not all) Ford dealership service writers. True story: one dealership service writer told a friend of mine to cut the old belt off with a sharp razor blade. Then stretch the new belt on using a large, straight edge, standard screw driver. I thought it was a joke, but I can assure you, the guy was completely serious!
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Serpentine Belt Question
If the serpentine belt tensioner on the 3.0 is anything like on the 4.0, I wouldn't loosen any bolts on any accessories, nor would I cut the belt. Look on the tensioner pulley assembly and you should see "Lift" with an arrow nearby. Put your wrench on the bolt head in the center of the pulley and move the wrench in the direction of the arrow. This will lift up the tensioner pulley. Then, with the pulley lifted up, remove the belt from the alternator or other convenient pulley and let the wrench back down. Again, this is how it's done on the 4.0 but I suspect that the serpentine belt tensioner is similar to that on the 3.0.
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Serpentine Belt Question
Follow Mikeman's advice, these are easy to replace. A 5/8" socket on as long a breaker bar as you have will easily lift the tensioner. These are grooved belts and you need to be sure the belt is positioned properly over the major driven pulleys (crank,A/C compressor, alternator, etc) before starting it up. It has a tendency to want to slide off the crank pulley as you are working on the upper pulleys. If it rides off the crank pulley it will get chewed up in short order.
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Serpentine Belt Question
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 16-Aug-01 AT 07:43 PM (EST)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 16-Aug-01 AT 07:36 PM (EST)[/font]
If your 87 is like my 88 3.0L, the serpentine belt tensioner is not spring loaded and it's bolts must be loosened so they are just free enough to slip along the adjusting slot of the tentioner pully's mounting plate. The alternator/ac compressor belt is removed by loosening the alternator's bolts in a similar way so the alternator is just free to pivot and then using the jacking screw to loosen and retighten the belt.
Other then that, I can't add to what has been said about replacement of the belts. However, I will suggest keeping the old belts (and hoses) in the van as emergency spares incase one breaks on the road and a new one can't be easily located.
-Mark
If your 87 is like my 88 3.0L, the serpentine belt tensioner is not spring loaded and it's bolts must be loosened so they are just free enough to slip along the adjusting slot of the tentioner pully's mounting plate. The alternator/ac compressor belt is removed by loosening the alternator's bolts in a similar way so the alternator is just free to pivot and then using the jacking screw to loosen and retighten the belt.
Other then that, I can't add to what has been said about replacement of the belts. However, I will suggest keeping the old belts (and hoses) in the van as emergency spares incase one breaks on the road and a new one can't be easily located.
-Mark
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Hello, this looked like the right thread to ask about a serpentine belt. I have a 95' Aerostar with a 3.0L enginne. Like a fool I took the belt off to replace the water pump without first sketching the rout of the belt. My manual has a diagram that I thought I would be able to use to put the new belt on with, but it looks like there are two different planes that the belt should travel on in the diagram (from the side view) where my van has all of the pulleys on one plane.
After many many attempts I have found one path that seems to work, but the belt is still way too loose.
Should I be worried about something turning the wrong way if I have the belt on wrong? And does any one have a diagram that they can send me/or post?
After many many attempts I have found one path that seems to work, but the belt is still way too loose.
Should I be worried about something turning the wrong way if I have the belt on wrong? And does any one have a diagram that they can send me/or post?
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From: SoCal
Originally Posted by kristoferforrest
Hello, this looked like the right thread to ask about a serpentine belt. I have a 95' Aerostar with a 3.0L enginne. Like a fool I took the belt off to replace the water pump without first sketching the rout of the belt. My manual has a diagram that I thought I would be able to use to put the new belt on with, but it looks like there are two different planes that the belt should travel on in the diagram (from the side view) where my van has all of the pulleys on one plane.
After many many attempts I have found one path that seems to work, but the belt is still way too loose.
Should I be worried about something turning the wrong way if I have the belt on wrong? And does any one have a diagram that they can send me/or post?
After many many attempts I have found one path that seems to work, but the belt is still way too loose.
Should I be worried about something turning the wrong way if I have the belt on wrong? And does any one have a diagram that they can send me/or post?
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thanks 87 XLT I found that sticker, It's so much easier to work on things in daylight, I guess that I just didn't see it in the dark last night. Also had to find an idler pulley. The guy who owned the van before me had lost it. Van should run much better now.
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