questions (idler pulley and t-stat)

[Ranger379]

couple questions here guys, im fixing some stuff as well as tuning up some stuff while im at it, i bought new t-stat (think mines sticking open some times) my lower rad hose is leaking so im reaplceing upper and lower, i read that the t-stat is located in the upper hose almost, correct? haynes manual dont really say how to repalce it just says follow the upper rad hose.

second i swapped alterntors today with and old one (but ok) from the 95 and still had a whine, so i bought idler pulley and reaplced and now all is ok, but ford said this is an updated part number but will work, the old idler had a "lip" on each side on the pulley, the new one is all smooth. it is the same diameter and bolts up fine but the belt doesnt sit one it correctly there is a tiny bit of the belt hanging off the back end of pulley, is this ok? ford said that he has sold 2-3 of these and no problems. size wise its probably only one rib on the belt hanging off, any ideas?

thanks for the help

 

[shamaal]

The top hose goes to a pipe. The pipe unbolts with three bolts. The gizmo in there is the thermostat
see 4.0 section halfway down page. Pretty self explanatory.
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/0e/2e/cb/0900823d800e2ecb.jsp

Regarding the idler, there is no sharp edge I don't see a problem. Ensure that all the ribbed pullies are on track.

 

[Ranger379]

ya idler has worked fine thus far,just scares me that not all the belt is on the idler i guess. looks simple enough to change the t-stat, the metal tube that the upper rad hose connects to is very rusty, paint is flaking off in big chunks, is it ok to re paint that? im sure it wouldnt hurt would it?
i just got home and i drove about 8-10 miles should the rad cap be hot by now? i know its really cold outside but cap was actually cold still, the upper hose was warm, think my t-stats bad?

 

[Ranger379]

got a pic of the idler and how the belt sits on it, being like this wont hurt it? dont want to be going down the road and have the belt break lol

 

[ExplorerDMB]

I don't like how it's sitting on there. You don't have any spacers or washers or anything behind the pulley do you?

-Drew

 

[Ranger379]

i dont like it either, has anyone else reaplced their idler with this new style ideler and have it sit like this? nope no washers/spacers. next time i have something torn apart under the hood ill take the idler off and see if it came with spacers on there, maybe if there is i can pry them off or something.

 

[Minivek]

I didn't like the looks of that idler either when I had to change mine, so what I did is I bought the same sized sealed bearing from napa, and changed only the bearing, it's easy to get out and put back in, no trouble afterwards whatsoever and I still have my stock pulley. Make sure you torque that bolt correctly and that's all there is to it.

 

[Minivek]

Is it possible to mount this new idler you got the opposite way?? If so, it might have a different offset on the other side...

 

[Ranger379]

Is it possible to mount this new idler you got the opposite way?? If so, it might have a different offset on the other side...

thought of that, but no, the way its designed u cant and the bolt is part of the pulley, cant take the bolt out and bolt it on the other way.

 

[Minivek]

got it, but if you're worried about it and still have the old pulley in good condition, the bearing switch worked really well for me and cost me all of 6$. It's most likely that belt might get some weird wear on it, especially during the summer months or under heavy strain... You're right to keep an eye on it.

 

[Ranger379]

ya i always keep very good tabs on everything under the hood, belt is tight just hangs off a bit, i do have the old pulley, did u just go to parts store (advance auto parts is local) and get new bearings put in it? might do that just to have the spare...

 

[Minivek]

Yup, the bearing size is the same for both pulleys, so they just looked up the part number that's stamped on the bearing, went to the back and came out with my brand spanking new bearing, make sure they get you a sealed one, its got orange or blue seals I think. Its real easy to press out the old one, press it out, press the new one in and you're done, 10 minutes max.