Replacing the Belt Tensioner / Idler Pulley on a Ford Taurus

Replacing the Belt Tensioner / Idler Pulley on a Ford Taurus

by Chase | Published on November 10th, 2009, 8:03 pm | Advice

Thanks allot the pictures are worth a thousand words and I really needed the help. Iwas given the task of replacing a friends water pump an her 2000 Taurus and the serpentine belt was already off when I got to it and because I'm no real mach. I was stumped when it came to the routing of the belt. I think I'll be able to get it back on the road now and I give you all the credit for making that happen. I didn't want to have to go and by a manual just to get the routing... Kuddos to you taking the time to post your expierence.

Sincerely, Chase

Hello, I am having a problem, I got the belt off and a new one on but can't get tension put back on the belt.

Nfidel wrote:Thanks for this post Liv. You are a woman of many talents. Do you know how often one is supposed to change the belt on a Taurus? I have a 2000 model with 80,000 miles. No whining from any pulleys yet.

I've never much worked on anything with the engine sideways in the car. When changing this belt do you have to be careful not to move certain pulleys? I thinking here of the timing.

heath wrote:Hello, I am having a problem, I got the belt off and a new one on but can't get tension put back on the belt.

If the tensioner arm isn't retracting then it needs to be replaced as well as the pulley. It's a good idea to replace it regardless. If it's a new tensioner, be sure it's aligned with the alignment hole in the engine block and tightened down to spec.

Hi LIv,

Excellent posts and information you provide in this blog I must say. I do have a question: I'm having trouble accessing the tension pulley with a 15mm socket and wanted to adjust the alternator in to give some tension and the belt will slip into place. I've loosened the first bolt above the pulley and it won't budge, is there anything else I need to loosen or do before I pry the alternator forward a bit? (2000 Ford Taurus)

Thanks for any answer you may be able to provide.

Joby

From memory, the alternator is in a fixed position and cannot be moved. Be sure you're pulling on the bolt on the actual pulley, not the mounting bolt on the block. It's way simpler than removing the alternator.

Hi,
Thanks for the pics. Your page is the only one I could find that had the belt routing pictures. Very nice page!

Thank you much,
Nick

My son and his buddy replaced the idler pulley and tension pulley on my 2007 car about 7 months ago and it worked fine. About two weeks ago, they removed the idle pulley and tension pulley again. After they replaced them, the pulleys make a horrible screeching noise. Last week, I took off the idle pulley and took it back to the parts store and put the new idle pulley on the motor. The screeching noise continued. Yesterday I took off the tension pulley because I figured it must be the one going bad. When I took it off I found that it had a big flat washer (not part of the bolt) between the bolt and pulley. I suspect that the washer should not be used. The idle pulley did not have the flat washer. Did you see a large flat washer on the tension pulley?

Please note that the both bolts have a small washer but only the tension pulley had a second large flat washer.

Thanks.

I do remember a washer, but couldn't tell you if it was used. According to my pictures on page one, there is a large outer concave washer, and I'm almost quite certain I did use that.

I'm sure the washer is needed