Belt tensioner

Could have a broken spring or bad bearing, shit happens!

It failed on my dad's '99. It's not unheard of them to fail... all that would need to happen is the seal to go bad let the grease out of the bearing..

I broke one once on a '93 lx. I forgot how though, I think I was messing with it. I don't believe it just "broke". Stranger things have happened before though so I wouldn't doubt it.

Erik D.

Thanks guys!

Brad

This is one reply I had to post to because I will never forget it.

I had not driven a stick for years and this Newsgroup convinced me to get the stick. It was like second nature and I had no problems.

BUT, my wife asked me if it was possible to try to learn how to drive a car with one. So, the Saturday after my car was delivered from the factory we went up to a large parking lot at a school for her first lesson.

She had no clue. No matter how I tried to explain how driving with a stick works, I might as well have been speaking in strange tongues.

So here we were ready to try the grand experiment.

Stall. Stall. Stall.

I then took over and showed her how I did it very slowly. I even kept my hands away from the steering wheel so she could just watch my feet as I eased out slowly.

Her turn again. Stall. Then, she got it to actually move forward but panicked and hit the brakes....Stall.

Ok one last time.

I said try to rev the engine a little more.

Ten feet forward then BANG. Stall.

I said I better take over. I started the car but something was very very wrong. I remember the horrible noise. Somehow someway I was able to get the car to a Gas Station 1/4 mile away. The mechanic looked at it and said your belt tensioner is missing. If you live close by you can get it home. I did.

I later went to the parking lot with her car and found the broken part.

Had it towed to the local Ford Deal.

He told me that the tensioner was ripped completely off of the block. Told me he never saw anything like it in his life. Still it was a covered repair.

Two good things:

1. She has never driven the car again. It is all mine. But she likes those summer rides with the top down. Although I drive to fast for her on country roads. Never heard of such a thing.
2. When I got the car fixed, I had the dealership change my oil and change to synthetic Mobil 1 .

This is nothing against women. But I have noticed that women who first learned how to drive a stick on a VW bug can drive any car with a stick and are usually really good drivers. Just an observation on my part.

Regards,

Bill P.

The tensioner on my '93 GT started squeeling like a bad/dry bearing. Was cheap and easy to replace. Better to go ahead and replace if there is any question because if it freezes up, could be bad... well, make you stranded on the side of the road one day. But... if it's the Ex-wife, who cares? :-)

Ex isn't the issue. It's a Mustang.

dwight