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Jan 23, 2005 | 01:09 PM

matskittles

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serpentine

I recently had my serpentine belt replaced on my 1994 F-250 7.3 diesel for preventitive maintenance. I got the truck home fine, I took the truck out today and the belt came off, I got the belt back on, but now the bolt is hitting the radiator fan?? please help. is this the dealerships fault?

Jan 23, 2005 | 09:27 PM

PLC7.3

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From: Manitoba

I would remove the belt and check the fan/waterpump for looseness try wiggling the heck out of it. The tensioner should fit into a hole on the bracket andd it should sit flat with the idler pulley lined up with the alternator and fan pulleys.

I would seriously suggest you call the dealer and tell them what happened it would be my feeling they are responsible. The tech may have stripped the bolt into the bracket and just let it go, but wait and see on that one.........

Jan 24, 2005 | 10:27 AM

matskittles

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I just talked to the dealer , he said theres no way that they are responsible. I asked "theres no way one of the mechanics goofed on the install?". he said "nope, the tension pulley went, happens all the time". Is this a coincidence? or should i point the finger at the dealer. what should i say?

Jan 24, 2005 | 11:05 AM

why165

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test the tension pully to see if he is right. if you can move it by hand then he is right and the pulley went out. what bolt are you talking about?? anyway if the tensionar went then it was just dumb luck, or really bad luck, and you just take the loss. if the tension is good and it take a wrench to move it then i would drag i back to him and have him repare thier problem that they caused. either way i wouldnt go back to the dealership, soulds like the person you talked to is out to get somebody. if a mechanic isnt willing to look at the problem just to see if maybe they did screw up then you should watch out. what you could do if you arent sure how to test the pully or how much tension sould be on it is take it to another mechanic and have him look at it and see what he says. if he says its thier fault then stick it to them, hard.

Jan 24, 2005 | 03:34 PM

matskittles

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I just got the old tension pully back after they replaced it with a new one. im looking at it in my hand and its cracked in a couple of spots.One crack is on the metal, the other on a small plastic peice inside. Ive only driven the truck about 20 miles since the serp belt was replaced and this all happened. Is it possible that the tech applied to much pressure to this pulley and cracked it when putting on the new serp belt, while i was able to drive 20 miles before it completley cracked? or is it just a coincidence, and it cracked by itself?

Jan 24, 2005 | 08:12 PM

nogo73

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From: San Antonio

I heard had so kind of recall (not sure) on them at one time or another good news is it you are going to replace the tensionor I'd recomend putting a 1994 style on with a shock on the tensionor dig deep its 150 dollars american but you may never have trouble(you have to get some other pulleys to make this work but its a one one time cost that will last the life of the truck) with it again also you have to disconect the shock any time you remove the belt. I never had a belt come off witht this style.

Jan 24, 2005 | 10:21 PM

sealguy

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From: California

Having worked as a tech in a few stealerships,(never ford) I would say the tech blew it. In fact, if the truck came back to me after that repair, the service manager would be chewing on me for not selling you a new tensioner that was obviouysly needed. Will you get your money back or have any recourse? Probably not. Just chalk this one up to experience and never deal with them again. You could call ford and log a complaint. This hurts their customer satisfaction rating. (they hate that)