Continental K49220 - Drive Belt Kit will it or won't it fit my '03 Taurus wagon?

Well that's a needle in a haystack question there.

I'd order the kit from Rockauto because if there is a problem, they usually will back it up, especially if it's a incorrect listing on the web page.

From ebay you might be stuck for weeks, depending on the seller and only get a refund if you send everything back at your expense.

I had one dealing with Rockauto where I ordered most of the suspension parts for my lincoln from them and when all the boxes came, there was something about the rubber bushing that didn't seem right, not only they didn't look right (i didn't recognize where they went), the ones I did want, which looked like half tennis balls were totally absent.

It only took one phone call with them, after the guy did a bit of research he figured the part numbers on the website were wrong and 3 or 4 days later they not only sent the correct ones, but didn't care about getting the wrong ones back.

So if Rockauto says the kit will fit, at least you'll be a phone call away from a solution rather than waiting for someone to get back to you in email.

Since it seems you already picked the kit up, I don't see what else you can do but try to put it on. It seems like a real long shot anyone on here used that exact kit on that exact model/engine.

-bruce snipped-for-privacy@ripco.com

Thanks, Bruce. Well, I decided to try the Continental kit and I used everything except the belt. There was conflicting info on the belt, so I kept the one I changed this past Summer. Parts seemed to fit fine and were the same size as the originals.... except, the noise hasn't gone away. More like a chirp than a squeak. Not present much at all until the car warms up. You can hardly hear it at idle, but when you give it gas it gets worse. So with the tensioner, tensioner pulley and idler pulley now replaced, what's the next step? Thanks.

On my 4.0 Ranger it was the cam syncronizer shaft seized almost solid (what would have been the distributor sgaft on an older model - drives the oil pump and thecam position sensor)

I changed out the camshaft sync a year ago and never had any difficulty after that. It had the symptom of missing above 3000 rpm. Or maybe that was the position sensor, I don't remember.

Well, the next step is going to be to use the belt that came with the kit. Further research shows that it is one of the "gatorback" types, and apparently those seem to have a good rep, so I'm going to try changing it out to see what happens. The belt that's current I did change out during the Summer of '16, but it was just a generic they gave me at Advance Auto so it may not be best.

One thing that really POd me with this was the fact that this Continental kit used screws with heads slightly larger than the originals, which meant that the crowsfoot extra long wrench I rented to get at the belt didn't have crowsfoot ends that would fit the new parts and I basically had to couple a wrench I had around the shop to the long bar with hose clamps. I also had to get a Torx set as the single T47 wouldn't fit the new tensioner as it needed a T50. I suppose I could have used the original screws and probably should have.

So, after the holidays, I'll change out the belt for the kit belt and see what happens.

AJ

Snipped

Did you change just the sensor, or the whole shaft assembly?

The "gatorback" belts are FANTASTIC.

No clue.

Not sure I'd have one standing next to it.

One suggestion, find a short length of garden hose, a stiff one that doesn't flatten, about 3 feet long.

Hold up one end to your ear and move around the other to different spots on the engine, power steering pump, alternator, air compressor and anything else that rotates.

At some point the chirp should be louder than elsewhere and at least you have an area to focus on.

Otherwise your choices are a) find someone familar with that engine and knows what the noise is or b) hit or miss replacing parts until it stops.

I'm sure there is more high tech devices than the garden hose but in case it hits something spinning it won't damage anything including yourself.

-bruce snipped-for-privacy@ripco.com

Well, just before Christmas, I went ahead and changed the generic belt I got in August from Advance to the one in the kit, which I found out later is one of the "gatorback" types. Anyway, so far so good, no more noise so keeping my fingers crossed.