Tension pulley

[rollin900]

I had a pulley just fall off my explorer when i put it in reverse and backed up about 2 feet. It is on a v-6 and it is the farthest to the left, second one down.....(if i remember right, i am at work and can not see it) I think it is the tension pulley. I would like to know if this has happened to anyone and what the probable cause might be and what i would need to do to fix it.....I had to get a ride to work this morning and my wife has a job interview tonight, so i need to get it fixed today. It is a 98 XLT with a V-6

Thanks in advance

Nick

 

[4.0explo]

yea man tht sux it happen to me just a couple of weeks when i was driving down the road.. you need to just go by the whole assembly iany auto parts store should have them. i got mine at napa it was like 50 $

 

[Maniak]

I know on the ohv v-6, there is a tension pulley and an idle pulley.. (I don't know which motor you have.. ohv or sohc)...

The idler pulley is a cheap part.. only about $20... 1 bolt to pull out of the center.. to replace it..

The tensioner pulley (the only you move to take off the belt) is sold as an assembly.. I think I paid $50+ for it.. That one you replace the assembly, not just the pulley... its actually not hard.. I did it in the parking lot of a hotel in about 30 minutes (cold motor)...

Oh, if you lost the pulley, change the belt.. when a pulley goes, it really does a number on the belt.

~Mark

 

[rfuree11]

same thing happened to me- i got a good belt and the pulley for 50 bucks at advanced auto, took about 15 mins to change (cut my hand pretty bad on the fan- its a tight squeeze).

 

[Opera House]

It happens a lot

This is a really cheap assembly. There is a paper thin plastic wear washer. This wears through and then it is metal on metal. The tension spring then pops it out. If you would have looked before this happend you would have seen more white plastic bushing on one side than the other. First gens last forever. Part alone is about $50 and a single bolt holds it on. Spin the pulleys. They are also likely going bad and are starting to rattle. I popped the dust cover off the bearings and re greased tem. A questionable practice, but mine are still working. Everyone should be checking theirs at this age. I was stuck at home and made a new bushing for the tensioner arm that is still working.

 

[CCThacker]

Mine went out on the way to work yesterday. Popped right off and hanging in engine area. it flinged hard enough to crack the pulley on the edges. Guess it is time to go to the parts store. can't wait on special order this time around. by the way here is the ford online price(cheaper) and list price. If you are wondering.
SERPENTINE TENSIONER, Explorer, Mountaineer, 4.0L 97-99 $53.42 $44.34
SERPENTINE BELT, Explorer, Mountaineer, 4.0L, w/AC 1997 $50.09 $41.57

 

[SmokeGrinder]

I just had the same happen to me...

our UK exploers do not show the belt route on the sticker. If you could post a photo of the sticker i would be really thankfull.

 

[yob_yeknom]

 

[SmokeGrinder]

thanks so much

 

[SmokeGrinder]

so to re fit the new tension unit... do i need to undo the bolt that’s still on the car? cause it wont move at all... or is there some other way of fitting it?

 

[yob_yeknom]

There should just be the one bolt running through the center of the tensioner. Take it out and the hole thing comes off.

 

[Katmandu]

Re: It happens a lot

Originally posted by Opera House
It happens a lot .

Is there any fore warning that this pulley is going to fail all the sudden ?? Funny noises ?? Anything ??

I had my X to the dealer the other day with what I thought was the cam chain follower going bad. It was making the rattling type noise on start up.

The technician said the engine was fine, but the idler pulley was the culprit.

The dealer wanted something like $100 for the part and 7 1/2 hours LABOR charge to replace it!!

I'm like :bs: !! I'll fix it my damn self be for I pay that kinda money!!

What kinda BS is that charging 7.5hrs Labor for something like this ??

 

[SmokeGrinder]

yeah that is a load of bs dude.
the stealership wanted the same here in the UK. I dont get it. It took me no time at all to fix it.

Tom

 

[Opera House]

Once you are over 5 years or 100k it is going to happen. There is no sign but the visual one I mentioned. When you get to this age you might as well replace it as general maintenance. You don't wait for belts to have thier last threads before you change them and this can do a lot more damage.

 

[Katmandu]

My "X" only has around 60k easy miles on it.

The partsmonkey said that the tensioner casing will start to separate as a warning sign. Mine isn't yet, but I'm gonna replace it anyways as a precaution.

 

[bfbchief]

This may be a little off topic....but I am looking to replace the belt on my Explorer at is has 173,000 and the belt is not looking good.

Is this easy to do?

All I have to do is something with this Tension Pulley?

Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[Opera House]

The first generations do not have the idler issue. It should be still good. The pulley bearings probably need to be replaced though.