Getting drive belt off 2002 Winstar

I need to replace my alternator and thankfully it is readily accesible, but the belt tensioner is not. It looks like the only way to get a wrench on it is from underneath, which means getting it up either on jack stands or some other means of elevation. Just wondering what others have done to get at that tensioner pulley:confused:

Right answer....they sell a belt tensioner tool that is basically a 3/8" rathet (minus the ratcheting assy) attached to a long thin piece of steel. You can quickly and easily loosen the tensioner with it. It's probably around $15. (Worth it....trust me)

Quick answer, you can pull the belt with your hand and get enough slack to remove it from any of the easily accessible pullies. That gets it off, but you'll have hell getting it back on with the right tool.

I don't spend money unless I have to, but this is a tool that you'll be glad you bought.

Mark

Right answer....they sell a belt tensioner tool that is basically a 3/8" rathet (minus the ratcheting assy) attached to a long thin piece of steel. You can quickly and easily loosen the tensioner with it. It's probably around $15. (Worth it....trust me)

Quick answer, you can pull the belt with your hand and get enough slack to remove it from any of the easily accessible pullies. That gets it off, but you'll have hell getting it back on with the right tool.

I don't spend money unless I have to, but this is a tool that you'll be glad you bought.

Mark

Just checked Canadian Tire and sure enough they have this tool, but it's $40...just wondering if it can be rented, or its not something I will use all that often and $40 is a bit much for a one time use...although what is the price of avoided aggravation...

Its not too difficult too reach under with a 13 mm closed end wrench and too take the tension off the tensioner... I just did it two days ago when I replaced my alternator. But I did remove the front right wheel ... not absollutely necessary ... just made things easier.

Its not too difficult to reach under with a 13 mm closed end wrench and taking the tension of the tensioner... I just did it two days ago when I replaced my alternator. But I did remove the front right wheel ... not absollutely necessary ... just made things easier.

I did the same thing except for removing the wheel, I only crawled under the van from the front right corner and I could easily reach the belt tensioner without any issues, I used the same 13mm wrench.

Same here with a 13 mm wrench last weekend. I turned the wheels hard right to open space in front of right wheel, felt through and under the wheel well with the box end to get it on the tensioner. Turned the wrench to slacken tensioner with one hand while reaching over the fender with the other to flick the belt off, released tensioner.

When installing put the belt on everything except the top area and slacken the tensioner the same way to finish installing the top of belt. It would be a bit easier with two people!

Make sure it's in park with the emergency brake on..

cheers,

Here's the pic from the the incredibly crappy Ford service manual. Have to do this this weekend as well, hope the spring clip is there will make it easier.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa256/seizer524/Windstarbelt.gif

Instructions are this.

1. Remove the drive belt.

1 Rotate the belt tensioner counterclockwise.
2 Push the spring clip towards the belt tensioner to lock belt tensioner in place.

2. To install, reverse the removal procedure.

Same here with a 13 mm wrench last weekend. I turned the wheels hard right to open space in front of right wheel, felt through and under the wheel well with the box end to get it on the tensioner. Turned the wrench to slacken tensioner with one hand while reaching over the fender with the other to flick the belt off, released tensioner.

When installing put the belt on everything except the top area and slacken the tensioner the same way to finish installing the top of belt. It would be a bit easier with two people!

Make sure it's in park with the emergency brake on..

cheers,

I agree with this one, I just got done working on my 2003 and must have taken the belt off and on about 6 times this way. It's the cheapest, quickest, and easiest way.
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Here's the pic from the the incredibly crappy Ford service manual. Have to do this this weekend as well, hope the spring clip is there will make it easier.

Wow! I had no idea about that clip, it should make things a lot easier I needed help from somebody else to install the belt, if I should have known about it I shouldn't had been bothering my mom! XD LOL.

Oscar

+1 for the wrench. :)

Got it off with the box end wrench, but enlisted the help of my son, for I had wormed my way in under the front corner with the wheels turned sharply to the right for more room. I should have checked this post again beforehand though...to look for that spring clip...although didn't see anything while was under the vehicle.

Alternator at CTC, $305 taxes in....:crying: Ah well, what can ya do...start riding a bicycle?

Still have to do the back brakes, and right lower control arm but those are stories on their own...lol.

thanks for the suggestions guys!

Wow! I had no idea about that clip, it should make things a lot easier I needed help from somebody else to install the belt, if I should have known about it I shouldn't had been bothering my mom! XD LOL.

That infamous clip appears to be quite elusive and only accessible to the lucky few. Did not exist at all on the tensioner I replaced today. On the new tensioner the pulley was held back by a single-use metal pin. In theory this would allow one to install the tensioner by themselves and remove the pin when done to pick up the slack in the belt. In practice however, it is impossible to install the tensioner with this pin in place because it blocks access to Bolt #2. Bolt #1 (bottom) was very easy to remove and re-install, Bolt #2 somewhat frustrating and Bolt #3 (top) took me an hour just to get it out and I could never reinstall it afterwards and it will stay that way until I can find an ultra-slim, 3-foot-long 10mm wrench. Have no idea if such a contraption even exists

The alternator story continued for me this January, the previously mentioned alternator from Canadian Tire, last just under two years and had to be replaced. I did it all by myself this time, and my 'clip' to hold the tensioner off the belt...a small pc of wood wedged between my power bar and the under carriage :smile:

Sure wish could have found the reciept for that POS alternator from crappy tire :mad:

At the moment, the van is parked and am riding my bicycle to work...the repairs on this vehicle pile up up faster than the money to do them!!


The flexible exhaust connector pipe between cat and muffler
The ignition coil pack (again just over 2 yrs since last one)
Noticed the rad is steaming while at stop light, so some pinhole leak there
Body work..but don't think will ever get to that, for have no way or place to tackle it

The alternator story continued for me this January, the previously mentioned alternator from Canadian Tire, last just under two years and had to be replaced. I did it all by myself this time, and my 'clip' to hold the tensioner off the belt...a small pc of wood wedged between my power bar and the under carriage :smile:

Clever, I should've thought of that. In order to re-install the belt I ended up using a small hydraulic jack to push and hold the pulley forward. In order to avoid crushing the belt against the pulley I used a steel door hinge to press against the pulley's axle. Cussed and swore all evening long with this job but it was well worth the effort, got rid of the grinding noise that's been driving me nuts for over a year.

Sure wish could have found the reciept for that POS alternator from crappy tire :mad:

I only go to CT for tools and basic generic parts such as exhaust pipes, battery cables and such. For moving parts I used to shop online or at NAPA until I noticed that local generic auto parts retailers sell the exact same brands for less. Regarding the alternator last time mine fried I replaced it with one purchased at a junkyard for $10, figuring it would hold me 'til I could purchase a new one. That was 3 years ago and it still works flawlessly lol.

Regarding the flex pipe the one I got at CT works great, to my amazement (and theirs as well I'm sure :biggrin:). The ones I had found online were overpriced.

I was looking at the flex pipe fittings in CT, but since the bolts connecting the flex to the cat is all corroded and really need to be cut off, just not sure what kind of bolts they are. If I cut them off with a grinder or sawsall, are they threaded into the flange on the cat? or is it just a bolt with nut on one side? Mine are too corroded to be able to tell...

I was looking at the flex pipe fittings in CT, but since the bolts connecting the flex to the cat is all corroded and really need to be cut off, just not sure what kind of bolts they are. If I cut them off with a grinder or sawsall, are they threaded into the flange on the cat? or is it just a bolt with nut on one side? Mine are too corroded to be able to tell...

If your 02 exhaust is anything like the one on my 00, and I'm pretty sure they are identical, the "bolts" in question are actually studs and those sure caused me a major headache back in January. They cannot be unbolted or whacked out. Short of buying a new Y-pipe/cat your alternative is to cut them at the base using an ace torch, bolt cutter or hacksaw, then either drill out the stumps through the flange or use a pair of split-flanges over the old flange to pull the pipes together.

A more imaginative if somewhat hillbilly-ish approach is to use two old vise-grips to hold the flanges together, but this will require the use of high-temp "red" sealant to make sure the joint remains airtight. Keep in mind that the vise-grips will quickly rust shut and you'll never be able to remove them without destroying them first. This does look as idiotic as it sounds but no one but you will know they are there.

The bolts can removed with the help of heat. That said, I didn't do it with the y-pipe on the vehilcle, but after it was off (I believe I may have removed the heads to get it off the flex pipe), I was able to heat the flange until it glowed red and remove the bolts from the y-pipe.

Maybe I could use my shiny new mig welder, cut the heads off some bolts and weld the shafts in place...kind of ambitious for a newb learning to weld tho.

Maybe I could use my shiny new mig welder, cut the heads off some bolts and weld the shafts in place...kind of ambitious for a newb learning to weld tho.

Or you could simply use a welded fitting to join the Y-pipe to the flex. That was my first intention but I don't use the welder underneath the van unless it's high up on a lift and I didn't feel like pulling out the whole exhaust line in sub-zero weather, that's a project for the coming weeks as I need to replace both exhausts manifolds, the muffler and the hangers. May as well do this away from the vehicle and then hook it back up at once.

For this evening I was content with replacing an outer tie rod end, much more work than i thought getting the old end to unscrew, had to use a pipe wrench no less. In the process I have inadvertently gotten rid of the infamous negative camber that plagues so many Winnies. I suspect the camber is due to shot outer tie rod ends, more specifically Motorcraft ones. Those have serious horizontal play when in need of replacement, well over an inch. Only had time to do one side on mine so now I have one straight front wheel and one still with negative camber, but not for long.