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Belt Adjustment

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer, 2004 Ford Explorer, 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, and 2003 Ford Explorer. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
CAUTION: Incorrect drive belt installation will cause excessive drive belt wear and may cause the drive belt to come off the drive pulleys.

Inspect belt for fraying. If fraying has occurred, ensure belt and tensioner are aligned properly. See Fig 1. If tensioner has reached its limit of travel, belt is excessively stretched and replacement of belt is required. If excessive noise is noticed from tensioner or idler, check for possible bearing failure. With the engine running, visually observe the grooves in the pulleys (not the pulley flanges or the pulley forward faces) for excessive wobble. Install new components as necessary. Check all accessories, mounting brackets, and the drive belt tensioner for any interference that would prevent the components from mounting correctly. Correct any interference condition and recheck the drive belt tracking. Tighten all accessories, mounting brackets, and the drive belt tensioner retaining hardware to specification. Recheck the drive belt tracking.

Belt tension is controlled by an automatic belt tensioner and is not adjustable. DO NOT apply belt dressing or any other additive to belt(s). Ensure belts are properly installed. The automatic drive belt tensioner can be checked as follows:

Fig 1: Aligning Serpentine Belt
G95G27199Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.