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Serpentine belt tensioner toast at 95000 miles - how to replace?


Scott Stokley
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I bought a 2010 TC new for my wholesale distribution business & I absolutely love this vehicle. However, when it was in the shop for minor repairs, they said the serpentine belt tensioner was the reason for the whining noise I was hearing. I was somewhat relieved that it wasn't the transmission but the Ford dealership wants $350 to R & R it charging me 1 hour labor & $113 for the belt tensioner which Auto Zone has for $43 (& $63 for the belt, $42 at AZ).

Can I do this job myself? I'm a pretty fair shadetree mechanic. Does it require any special tools/wrenches?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Scott

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  • 3 weeks later...
   

Alright, I jumped right in & tackled this & it was surprising easy. I took the passenger side tire off for easier access (after jacking that side up & securing it on a stand). There is a plastic cover with 2 bolts that once removed, gives you easy access to the belt tensioner pulley. The pulley had a nut-like protrusion on it that I think was 15mm. Simply put a wrench on that & turn clockwise to release the belt tension. The belt can then be pulled off. The pulley has 2 bolts holding it on & it only took me a few minutes to R & R. The belt was a bit trickier to replace as I did put a new one on since this one had 97000 miles on it. (Save it as a back-up in case the new one ever breaks - it will keep you from getting stranded). It actually took me longer to replace the belt than it did to replace the pulley.

I know this will anger you Ford mechanics but the entire job only took me 20 minutes start to finish & I ordered the parts from Rockauto.com for less than $90. My local Ford dealer wanted to charge me $349. I think that's simply outrageous. Look, I know you dealers have a lot of overhead & training, etc. to cover but charging triple for the parts & 2 hours (not one but 2 hours!) labor for this job is flat out wrong. I also R & R'ed the spark plugs in under 5 minutes for $10 & Ford wanted to charge me $239 - come on guys, that's tough to justify!

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  • 11 months later...

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