Replacing F-150 serpentine belt.

[tallyho8]

By the way, if you have someone hold the belt tensioner back for you, make sure they do not release the tension while your finger is between the belt and the pulley.

 

[TwinWillows]

The thing on the left w/a short arm & pulley is indeed the belt tensioner. On my Tahoe it's spring loaded to push out against the grooved side of the belt. Have fun saving $100.

 

[Redbug]

Yes, I also save the old one as a spare. With these newer type vehicles if your belt goes out on the highway, you are out of business. Everything runs or depends upon that belt. It is stored among other survival type tools/parts, in one of my wheel well boxes. I use the room under my seats for a phone book, ammunition, and first aid kit.

 

[tallyho8]

When the belt broke on my 1995 F250 diesel, I thought I could drive one block to a gas station without overheating and with hard steering. I didn't realize until I tried to stop that I had no brakes either because the vacuum pump wasn't working.

 

[RobertN]

Yes, I also save the old one as a spare. With these newer type vehicles if your belt goes out on the highway, you are out of business. Everything runs or depends upon that belt. It is stored among other survival type tools/parts, in one of my wheel well boxes. I use the room under my seats for a phone book, ammunition, and first aid kit.

You beat me to it

Serpentine belts are pretty easy to change. But, they also leave you stuck when they break... When there were three or four V-belts on a motor, if one broke, usually the rest still worked, and you could limp to a gas station or home. If a serpentine belt cuts loose, none of the accessories, ie water pump, power steering, alternator etc work...

Always worth while to have the spare belt under the seat or in the trunk.

 

[RobertN]

The bad news is that some are not too hard to do while others almost require a second person; one to pull and hold the tensioner while the other puts the belt in all the right pulleys.

Bad news is, if that serpentine breaks, nothing external to the engine works, ie water pump, alternator, power steering. You're basically stuck on the side of the road, out in the field, or where-ever Always keep that spare. If you don't have one, get one...

 

[Egon]

My truck has the power steering pump connected directly to the engine. No belt drive.

Plus the belt you gotta remember to carry the right tool for the tensioner!

 

[RobertN]

Plus the belt you gotta remember to carry the right tool for the tensioner!

Vice-Grips?!?!

 

[Bird]

Vice-Grips?!?!

With the old cars, a big screwdriver, the vise-grips, and a piece of baling wire would fix anything enough to get back home. But when they quit using wire to bale hay . . . . ., things just haven't been the same since.

 

[Egon]

Robert, I need a long 1/2 breaker bar for the truck. My old body couldnt manage with vise grips.

For our car it's more like a complete set of tools. 2003 Grand Am GT.