Hi, I have a friend that has a 95 F150 and the serpentine belt is squealing. I don't know to much about Fords but I think there must be a way to put more tension on the belt.I saw a hex head bolt on the pulley that is spring loaded. Is that the adjustment and what way do you turn it? Thanks for any help. Charlie
You didn't say which motor you have, but my 5.8L Bronco had a spring loaded tensioner. I have a '97 F150 with the 4.6L, and it has a spring loaded tensioner. The spring is not adjustable.
Time for a new belt, UNLESS the spring is broken in the tension idler pulley.
Tom J
Don't bother. Just go to your local parts store and get a new belt for around $20.00. It'll take you about 5 minutes or so to install it.
On Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:49:39 -0700, dobbsc rearranged some electrons to say:
Are you sure it's the belt and not the bearing in the tensioner pulley going bad? Or worse (water pump seal?)
In any case, putting more tension on the belt is not the solution.
There is a tensioner pulley AND an idler pulley. Either of these can make noise, and the belt can make noise. Belt squeal is typically resolved by replacing the belt, the condition of the pulley bearings is inspected then, and replaced as needed. I replaced one of my pulleys in the parking lot in front of the parts store.
I recently had a noisy idler pulley too. Being a long way from the auto parts store I just sprayed some carb cleaner and gobbed a little bearing grease on it--it sounds good for now but probably won't last long.
There have been some after-market belts that I've read about that are just a little bit too long and cause lots of problems. Is it a new belt? Perhaps try running it for a few seconds without the belt and see if the noise goes away which it probably will. I use a shop-vac hose for a stethoscope by putting the end that goes in the vacuum cleaner over my ear.
It could be the belt or it could be the tensioner. Squirt some oil into the bearing on the back side of the tensioner and see it the squealing stops. If so, you need a new tensioner. Inspect the belt for cracks etc. and decide if you want to replace it.
You need a serpentine belt wrench kit to do this job. Most auto parts store loan them out or you can buy one from Harbor Freight for about $12.50. You sentect the correct socket size for the hex head and put it on the wrench (more like a flat bar). Turn it one way or the other and you will see the belt loosen. Slip the belt off the tensioner. Replace belt and/or tensioner ($26 or so) and use the tensioner kit to reinstall.
Bob Alex, VA
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