Ford WindstarIntroduced in the mid-1990s, the front-wheel-drive Ford Windstar minivan campaigned with an emphasis on, and reputation for, safety. And in the hotly contested family minivan market of the time, that was an especially solid piece of ground to be on. As long as buyers didn't need to haul adults in back on a regular basis, the Windstar served a family's needs just fine.
So I got the belt off by just yanking it, but I can't get it back on. I'll rant later on with wisdom Ford engineers.
Somebody else wrote:
14) With a clear shot at the tensioner, rotate it counter clockwise about 1/3 turn and set the release spring in its hold slot. Doing this will make putting the serpentine belt back on a snap.
Clear shot? Release spring? The distributor is above the tensioner, and of course the tensioner is a nanometer from the side of the engine compartment.
Could someone please get a little more explicit? Is there a particular tensioner tool that works with this engine? What does it connect to? Do you rotate the tensioner with the tool and then lock it in position somehow?
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BroncoJoe19
2006 Alt Fuel Jeep (electric)
'98 windstar 3.8L
'99 Crown Vic 4.6L
'90 Full Size Bronco 5.0L
I'm not a professional mechanic, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, or a cup of coffee
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So I got the tool and the issue still isn't clear. The above thread is contradictory and doesn't make sense with my application. I'm out of time and going to work now.
Tensioner: Spring loaded pivoting arm with a pulley on the end of the arm.
-The pivot point has an 18MM nut. Loosening that just makes the arm wobble.
-The pulley has a 15MM nut. There's not enough room between the nut and wall to put a socket on it. The belt tool has a shallow 15. It won't fit either due to the distance to the wall. The claw would barely fit, but not at all with the long lever attached to it. Plus it's not clear that a wrench on the pulley nut is the method to move the arm to release tension. I can only fit an open end wrench on it, but then there's no leverage to move the arm with a short wrench buried in a narrow slot.
I might be able to find a very long 15MM open end wrench, or put a pipe on it for leverage and to bring it up to open air, but I'm not sure if that's how one ought to release tension. Are you supposed to pivot the arm with a wrench on the pulley nut? I could pivot the arm with one hand, then slip the belt on the alternator with the other. Is that how it's done?
Or is there another place to put the tensioner tool that I can't see because the tensioner is in a hole? The distributor and/or coil is above the tensioner, would it be easier to remove that to get better access? That thing didn't look obvious on how to get that off.
Hi,
you don't have to loosen any bolts.
The tensioner pully is on a spring loaded arm/cam.
All you need to do is to devise a way to get that arm to swing down a bit so that you can slide your belt over the pulley.
The thread that you pointed to, that states - there is a lock out tab to hold the tensioner arm in a down position is interesting, I was unaware of that. I will look for it the next time I do mine. Always keep your fingers clear from getting pinched between belt and any pulley.
__________________
BroncoJoe19
2006 Alt Fuel Jeep (electric)
'98 windstar 3.8L
'99 Crown Vic 4.6L
'90 Full Size Bronco 5.0L
I'm not a professional mechanic, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, or a cup of coffee
At the bottom of each post there is a little icon
Clicking it gives feedback to the moderators, and poster regarding which posts are most helpful.
...Are you supposed to pivot the arm with a wrench on the pulley nut? I could pivot the arm with one hand, then slip the belt on the alternator with the other. Is that how it's done?....
Yes. On the 15mm bolt for the pully. Since you pulling clockwise on the bolt it will not loosen.
Since you "muscled" the belt off, the tensioner has rotated past the area where it is easy to get a socket on. You may have to get creative with wrench/pipe combo.
Also the engine mounts sometimes soften allowing the engine to "drift" , which might be why you have less room to get a socket on there.
Yes. On the 15mm bolt for the pully. Since you pulling clockwise on the bolt it will not loosen.
Since you "muscled" the belt off, the tensioner has rotated past the area where it is easy to get a socket on. You may have to get creative with wrench/pipe combo.
Also the engine mounts sometimes soften allowing the engine to "drift" , which might be why you have less room to get a socket on there.
Ok, that's making some sense, I'll see if I can nudge the engine over. Looks like the belt tool has an auxiliary arm. I can probably put the main bar with an 18MM socket onto the 18MM nut as a pivot point, and then the auxiliary arm over to the pully with a 15mm socket or claw. I'll loosen the 18 first and hopefully I can nudge the engine over to get room.
If your winstar is like mine, there isn't enough room to get a socket on that bolt. You should be able to get an open end wrench on it.
Here are two pictures. One of my heavy duty 12-16 inch flat blade screwdriver that I use as a pry bar.
Another is a pic of the tensioner. I tried to mark the spot that I stick the pry bar into. I just lever it down, and slide the belt on and off.
ANd here is a picture of the screwdriver being used as a lever.
__________________
BroncoJoe19
2006 Alt Fuel Jeep (electric)
'98 windstar 3.8L
'99 Crown Vic 4.6L
'90 Full Size Bronco 5.0L
I'm not a professional mechanic, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, or a cup of coffee
At the bottom of each post there is a little icon
Clicking it gives feedback to the moderators, and poster regarding which posts are most helpful.
Last edited by BroncoJoe19; 03-19-2009 at 01:32 PM..
ANd here is a picture of the screwdriver being used as a lever.
No, the distributor/coil is on top of the tensioner: there's no place to put a long screwdriver. It's buried in there.
But I was able to put a 15mm open end wrench on the pulley nut and use a long 1" pipe to pivot the arm. I had to remove the ground strap and wiggle and bend my way past the A/C reservoir (?) and other things, but I got it.
Too bad it's still not charging. I'm researching now and may post a new thread.
Too bad it's still not charging. I'm researching now and may post a new thread.
Just the fuse. I'm good now.
Or good in alternator/battery/battery cable measurements anyway. In power steering pump, front left wheel bearings, power windows, and right rear motor mount terms, I'm not so good. But one step at a time...
__________________
BroncoJoe19
2006 Alt Fuel Jeep (electric)
'98 windstar 3.8L
'99 Crown Vic 4.6L
'90 Full Size Bronco 5.0L
I'm not a professional mechanic, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, or a cup of coffee
At the bottom of each post there is a little icon
Clicking it gives feedback to the moderators, and poster regarding which posts are most helpful.
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Just don't get the Tensioner 
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