How to Replace The Belt Tensioner on a Ford Taurus
by Allen Moore
The Ford Taurus belt tensioner serves to hold the serpentine drive belt in place. The tensioner, which consists of an arm and a pulley, presses down on the serpentine belt to keep it in constant contact with the other pulleys in the serpentine system. The tensioner can be manipulated back and forth when replacing the belt. A spring within the tensioner arm is what applies the force, holding tension on the belt. In the event the spring should break or lose its strength, you will need to replace the tensioner.
Step 1
Place the end of the tensioner tool into the hole in the side of the tensioner and release the pressure by levering the tensioner away from the belt.
Step 2
Slide your other hand in and slip the serpentine belt off the tensioner pulley. Once the belt is off, allow the tensioner to slowly relax and then remove the tensioner tool.
Step 3
Use the socket set to unbolt the tensioner from the engine. Depending on your year and make of Taurus, this may be accomplished easier from the top side, or through the wheel well, or underneath.
Step 4
Lift the tensioner away from the engine and set it aside.
Step 5
Position the new tensioner where the old one was and start the fastening bolts back in by hand, using your other hand. Once the bolts have begun to thread in properly and are holding, tighten them down with the socket set.
Step 6
Slide the tensioner tool back in and lever the new tensioner backward until you can slip the belt over the pulley with your spare hand. Slowly allow the tensioner to move back into place and remove the tool.
Step 7
Start the engine and monitor the belt to make sure it is riding on all the pulleys properly.
References
Tips
- Certain model years will require the removal of the idler pulley before you can access the tensioner bolts. The idler pulley can be removed by simply taking the bolt out of the center of the pulley and slipping the pulley off its mount.
Things You'll Need
- Tensioner tool
- Socket set
Writer Bio
Allen Moore's career includes awards in poetry and creative fiction, published lyrics, fiction books and nonfiction articles as well as a master certification in automotive service from the Ford Motor Company. Moore is a contributing writer for RF365.com and various other websites, a ghostwriter for Rainbow Writing and has over a dozen works of fiction currently in print.
