I'm about to take the ever-regal Ginger on the road (about 3000 miles, roundtrip) and have been busily getting maintenance done. This afternoon, I notice that the smaller of the two belts is peppered with tiny hairline cracks all over the ribs. None of the cracks are very deep yet and no chunks are missing. Still, I am the nervous type and am wondering if I should pay the 150.00 the Firestone shop wants to have the belts replaced? The belts only have 28,000 miles on them. The larger belt looks just fine, maybe a little glazing on the back.

 

Replace the belts when they start to crack or glaze. If you do not know when the idler pulleys were last replaced, you should replace them too. You can easily do this work yourself and save yourself a bundle. $150 seems steep to have belts replaced.

 

the smaller belt drives the alternator which has a small pulley causing more belt flexing and tiny hairline cracks...i would run it until you see deeper cracks
these will easily go 5 years or 50k miles
Ford service says inspect every 60k and gives no replacement recommendations

if you do replace
call several independent auto repair shops in your area and get phone quote...$150 is too high...
call a couple local/not chain auto parts stores for their recommendations of reasonable priced quality local repair shops.....
have the idler/tensioner tested also

request only Goodyear, Dayco, Gates or AC Delco belts for long life
Motorcraft are good but over priced

 

I agree that 150.00 is too much but that's the lowest price I've found so far. Mechanics charge 80.00/hour here plus all kinds of taxes and fleece. If I had any upper body strength at all, and the right tools, I would do it. Then, I'm sure there's the "female tax": add 50% to any quoted price when the customer is female. Sigh.

I guess I forgot to say this is a 94 Aerostar 2WD with the 3.0L engine--not that that makes any difference I suppose. It's been four years since the belts were last changed. Might that make a difference? I mean, even if I'm not driving it much, the belts are always under tension.

 

I have had belts break before, and don't like the experience. I prefer to change belts when they start to look worn, regardless of mileage or age. Maybe one could call me paranoid. Belts are easy to replace yourself. If you are concerned about upper body strength, get tools with longer handles to allow you to get more torque on the bolts and such. For the price they are charging you, you could get a basic ratchet wrench set and a long handled wrench and the belts you need.

 

Did the 3 liter engine ever use a spring-loaded tensioner pulley like to 4 liter engine? That tensioner can be a bit of a trick to release, even with a long lever. There is just not space to turn the lever bar.

The 3 liter engine had a number of belt routes due to different accessory layouts. But most of them used some kind of slotted holes for adjusting belt tension. The trick to doing this is still accessing the bolts that fasten the accessories onto the brackets, and to retention the new belt. You can use a long pole or broom handle to push the accessory in the right direction to tension the new belt. You can get an assistant to help you out with that.

 

I do feel that the price is high. Even though the belts are simple to replace, it is much more prudent to spend the money then breakdown far from home or help. Maybe you can ask them to do a quick safety check of fluids, wheel bearings and tire pressure for no extra money. At least you may get a little something extra for that money.

 

All I know is, the last time the belts were replaced, I took it to a one-man shop. He worked for ONE SOLID HOUR to get the belts off and couldn't. I couldn't figure it out either. There must be a trick to it. I ended up taking it to a Ford dealership and I won't even TELL you what they charged! It was not pretty.

I really envy you folks who know your way around cars. Believe me, I've looked at Chilton manuals and haynes manuals and the internet....I just never could figure out how to replace the belts. It's like a recipe for baking a cake...the instructions are in code: understandable to those who already know how to bake but complete gibberish to someone who does not. And then there's the problem that every Aerostar seems to have its own unique belt layout. Mine never matches any of the pictures...

 

try your local junior college auto repair course, many do volunteers cars for free or nominal, you supply parts


http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/14/9d/0f/0900823d80149d0f/repairInfoPages.htm
link to 94 3L Aero belts

yours is fig 8,9 or 10 depending on AC or not an 1 or 2 idlers

fig 15 shows the tension bolts for power steering belt

secondary alternator/generator belt is the alternator mount bolts, one is thru a slotted notch

from Ford service cd
Drive Belt Replacement, Aerostar 3.0L Engine


Removal and Installation

1. Loosen generator pivot bolt and adjuster lock bolt.

2. Relieve tension on drive belt by turning adjustment bolt counterclockwise until drive belt can be removed, then remove drive belt.

3. Loosen power steering pump belt idler pulley bolts and remove power steering drive belt.

For installation, follow removal steps in reverse order. Refer to «Adjustments» in this section for belt adjustment procedures.

NOTE:
After new belts have been installed the engine must be run for 3-4 minutes, then the belts retensioned. This is required to allow for proper belt seating and stretch.

stupid Ford calls the alternator a generator, confuses new DIYers

believe in your configuration, the alternator belt has to come off first

link for free Ford Service cd burn files
dl the 94 truck for Aero
http://www.fordcds.com/

 

I had the two belts replaced on my '92 Aerostar just this January. Shop charged:

6K642 $34.50
4K460 $22.95
Labor $45.00

Total $102,.45

Not sure what brand belts, but I put the numbers off the work order.

 

I've changed mines recently on my 89 Aero 3.0L cause they had plenty of little cracks and were noisy ( and the idler pulleys too!), ordering them in a US cars parts importer was too expensive so I went to a classic european automotive store with olds belts, the man counted the gaps and the length of each and give me the closest size for cheap (if "cheap" can be used as an appropriate word, here in France!!!!)

 

A good trick on old Aero for changing belts is to remove the fan and the shroud, you gain plenty of room to work and it's easier to install belts.
Fan is nice when installed with copper or bronze grease, don't do like me, once time I have been disturbed in my work by my brother-in-law and put Loctite instead grease!!!!

 

I just got a new belt for my 4 liter from the local Kragen. It was about $35 for the Goodyear Gatorback version. This model has the ribs serrated at irregular intervals. for noise reduction. They also had a cheaper Goodyear model that looked more "normal" for $20.

I'm not sure about the older models, but on mine, I need some special tools to remove the fan. The average backyard mechanic may not have those, but they will have the more ordinary tools needed to replace the belt. However, I agree that if the fan and shroud were out of the way, the belt would be a lot easier to install.

 

To remove the fan clutch on my Aero I used a chain wrench around the water pump pulley then I just got out my big adjustable wrench and turned the clutch nut clockwise (my Aero is a 3.0 with left hand threads) and it spun right off easily.

You could purchase a fan clutch tool which holds onto the pulley mounting bolts but my chain wrench worked just fine.

Just don't overtighten the chain wrench or you could scratch or dent the pulley. A rag over the pulley will prevent scratches.

My Aero has one serpentine belt to get it around the fan I press the belt into the shroud and pull it around the fan. That way removal isn't necessary.

After you've had to remove your belt for various reasons as I have you can replace the belt fairly quickly as long as you have the belt routing handy.

 

I was wondering if the chain wrench won't scratch up the surface of the water pump pulley. I tried using a cheap belt wrench around the pulley, but it just slipped. My large adjustable wrench was just a little too thick to get into the space between the fan and pulley to hold the big nut. I had to buy a large open ended wrench.

The other thing I realized is that it's impossible to remove the fan shroud with the AC lines in the way. So I have to install or remove the belt with the fan shroud in place. Must be different on older models with the 3 liter engine.