1999-2003 7.3 ford serpentine belt

[magnakansas]

owners of e350, e450 and probably e550 fords around 1999-2003 for replacing the serpentine belt tensioner.... tools needed.. 13mm ratcheting gear wrench, 1/2 drive breaker bar about 2ft long, 2ft to 3ft long 3/8 breaker bar and 12 point 13mm shallow socket. coarse sandpaper.. like 80 or 50 grit, blue locktite, antiseize paste or grease. pencil, paper and flashlight. watch you tube videos how to do this... more than one.

Remove the air filter/air cleaner snorkel and set this aside. Make a sketch of how the belt goes around the pulleys. Use the 1/2" drive breaker bar on the tensioner lug and move the tensioner to take belt tension off the belt. Remove the belt from the pulley that is to the right of the alternator. Let the tensioner pull that breaker bar back to its "resting position. Remove the 1/2" breaker bar from the tensioner. Get under the bus and the 3/8" breaker bar and 13mm socket to crack the mounting bolt loose. The bolt I am talking about is the one that holds the tensioner assembly to the engine. After you break the bolt loose, remove the 3/8 breaker bar and use the 13mm gear wrench to remove the bolt. When the bolt is all the way loose, the tensioner assembly can fall on your face. The old tensioner comes out from the bottom. Look at the back of the old tensioner, see those two little pegs? Make a note of the two holes in the mounting area. Those two pegs go into the holes. Scrape/ sand/ clean the mounting surface where the tensioner assembly mounts to the engine block. Make it as smooth as you can by feel/sight. Use your flash light to double check what you feel with your finger tips. Paint the area you just cleaned with a light coat of grease or antisieze. Paint the area on the new tensioner assembly with grease or antisieze. There should be a little rubber O ring holding the bolt into the old tensioner assembly. Remove and save this oring. Compare the old tensioner assembly to the new tensioner assembly... They should look very similar. If they do not look the same ...Make certain the one you have is correct and will work. If your new tensioner assembly looks the same, and the mounting bolt looks to be in very good condition, put the bolt into the replacement asembly and put the oring on the bolt to hold the bolt in place while mounting the tensioner assembly. If that bolt Looks crusty, rusty or damaged, stop and locate a proper bolt to replace this one. Get another tensioner bolt, not just any ol bolt from the hardware store. put two drops of blue locktite on the threads of the bolt. This is where another person can be helpful. Get back under the bus with the tensioner and work it back up into mounting position. Notice the two pegs on the back of the tensioner have to go into the matching holes on the engine. Start the bolt back into the engine with your fingers, if at all possible to not use a tool to start this bolt. Your fingers.... get at least two full turns with your fingers. Now you can use the wrenches to thread in and tighten the bolt. About 35 foot pounds of torque is all that is needed. Dont go gorilla on this bolt.

Thread the belt back into place - do not put the belt around that pulley to the right of the alternator. Use the 1/2 drive breaker bar to pull the tensioner as far as you can, have your helper, if you have one, slip that belt back around the last pulley. Release the pressure on the tensioner and remove the 1/2" breaker bar. Double check the belt is on all the grooved pulleys in the correct way, get under the bus and check from that angle too. Remove all the tools from your work area around the engine. Double check and make certain you have not left a tool, a pencil, flashlight beer or anything else in the engine bay.

Start the engine and check for proper operation. Put your air cleaner system back together IF all the other stuff checks good.

Two of use did this in less than an hour.

william