Having problems replacing serpentine belt

[2ndcovenant]

Good day folks,

My serpentine belt broke while I was just down the road from my house, so luckily I was able to get it home with no damage to the vehicle or getting it towed.

I have a brand new serpentine belt and a serpentine belt tool, and I have the belt following the correct path, But although I know I need to loosen the tension by using the serpentine tool on the tensioner, it still doesn't seem to give me enough loose belt to fit the belt over the tensioner itself. I have the belt around every other pully correctly.

Is there a pully that I should use as my Last pully instead of the tensioner? Is there a video? I searched you tube and the one video that I could find for a 2002 ford explorer xlt 4.0L 6.0Cyl showed where the belt goes but not how to get it on or off.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Did you follow the diagram? If so a regular old 3/8 rachet should fit in the tensioner (square hole) and allow you to apply enough pressure to fit the belt on.

 

[swshawaii]

This really is a three handed job. If you need more leverage for slack use a short cheater pipe on the 3/8" square drive tool while turning counter clockwise. Are you sure you have the correct replacement belt? +/- 1/2" length makes a huge difference. Did you spin ALL the pulley's by hand and check for binding or looseness? When belts break or fall off it's usually because a pulley seizes or the tensioner spring fails. I usually use the smooth idler pulley on the top center to finish installing the belt.

Post YOUR replacement belt part number.
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2002,explorer,4.0l+v6,1377660,belt+drive,belt,8900

 

[swshawaii]

After installation and running the engine briefly, belt tension mark "should" be close to the center or slightly to the right.

 

[Drewmcg]

Any idea why your belt broke in the first place? There are more than a few incidents of harmonic balancers failing and causing belt failure, which would complicate putting on a new one if you didn't catch it.

 

[Hugh Janus]

There are two slightly different length belts - make sure you have the correct one. You may need to have your VIN when you visit your local AutoScrewup parts store.

 

[TechGuru]

4.0L CONTINENTAL ELITE 4060855
4.6L CONTINENTAL ELITE 4061010