Was changing my belt today, got it removed, but I couldn't get the new belt on, as the tension bolt was starting to round off ... your vid saved me, thank you.
Thank you! Apparently a squirrel decided to take a nap on my drive belt. When I started my 2001 Sable, I heard and felt a loud 'THUMP'! and then the battery light came on. I looked under the hood and the squirrel was wedged in between the front pulley and the chassis (obviously dead). Then I noticed my serpentine belt was off. Thanks to your video I was able to put my belt back on. A suggestion though - you may want to title your video 'removal AND installation' because I almost did not watch all the way through as I thought you were just showing how to remove the belt; however, thankfully you started talking about putting the belt back on and viola! anyway thanks!
Sir, i have to thank you. i fought trying to get the breaker bar into my ford Taurus. what a pain i could not do it. After a Rat decided to make it slip off its alignment i had to figure out how to get it back on. and your rag trick did it amazingly! Once again thank you very much.
Bravo !! That's brilliant , I wish I'd thought of that first , ha ha ha !!! I went to replace my belt today on my Ford Taurus 2003 , and realized I didn't have the right tools . Now I can do the rag method and be done with it , thanks a bunch !! :)
Thank you very much for sharing this. I was able to change my serpentine belt very quickly because of it. I'd love to see more maintenance and repair videos on the Duretec V6 3.0L engine for Taurus and Sable if you ever create more. They are a life saver to me and my family.
The most brilliant idea EVER. I messed with my daughter's 2001 Sable to point of wanting take a hammer to the engine over this ridiculous tensioner. The rage technique barely took me 30 seconds. Why oh why engineers make something like that hard is truly beyond me. My only hope though is that the extra stretching on the belt doesn't hurt it from holding on as it should. It seems tight so I'm guessing all is good. Thank you so much for this video!!!
Oh Lord!! I love it!!! I also have the design where there is no room and need that specialty tool to move the tensioner. This was a blast to watch and now I'm going out to change out that darn belt!!!! THANKS!!
Thank you so much for this awesome trick! It worked great for us and saved me (the wife) from my husband getting irate over the fact that he would have needed a special tool :) You rock nbpt1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The tensioners on these cars use a constant force spring and any extra stress would be very minimal. I agree, a serpentine belt tool is the preferred way, but not everyone has one readily available. If you watch the video you will hear me say that the preferred way is to use a tool (not a rag). The purpose of this video was to show that this can work as an alternate method. It is good to have knowledge of choices and options.
Nice trick. Once you've replaced the belt and the rag is at the front of the pulley pinched between it and the belt you could just pull upwards and slide the rag backwards between the underside of the belt and the top of the pulley to the original start position where it should just slide out as easily as it went in in the first place.
this is a very good idea for the mk6 1.25 fiesta I have.... no aux or ac belt tensioner, relies on a "stretchy belt" design for tension. so all the pulleys are fixed. very frustrating design. I shall try this tomorrow!
The tensioner is a spring loaded device that automatically tensions the belt. If you belt is loose you may need a new tensioner or a new belt......or maybe both.
Dima, Thanks for your feedback. I try to provide info for a broad range of skill sets and experiences. I realize that experienced people don't need much detail. Those folks can always scroll ahead. Thanks again and look for more videos soon.
wowww… THANK YOU!! the design of the tensioner really sucks, with a recessed nut and not enough clearance for a regular socket wrench. saved me a lot of grief!
Homer, Take a look at my video on removing the serpentine belt with a breaker bar. This may provide you with a good method by only using basic mechanic tools. If it does not work for you then the rag method may be your most practical choice. Good Luck and thanks for your comments.
Yes, unfortunately they are all designing their cars like this. If they can save ten cents they will go that route. They need to send their dealer network more repair work to help keep them going. Just look in most owners manuals today and often they say take it to the dealer to check XYZ. They do not want the owner to inspect or fix things themselves. I am sure that is part of the business model.
If you would like to see how to replace your Serpentine belt with an easy alternative method that is often not shown in shop manuals see my video on Serpentine Belt replacement usign a breaker bar. Thanks for watching
When your car was new a serpentine belt tool very likely would fit. As your 18 year old car ages the motor mounts get soft and the engine can shift slightly making the space available to access the tensioner a lot less. If you take a look at my video on removing a serpentine belt with a breaker bar you will see some other possibilities that may work for you. You should inspect you motor mounts to make sure nothing is unsafe. Good Luck.
Thanks, I was working on an 02 Ford Taurus. There's just not enough room to get a tensioner tool in there. Tried your rag trick, 1st time worked like a charm! Got the old belt off, put the new belt on, took about 1/2 hour. Used a bungee cord to keep a bit of tension on the new belt while I put it on the rest of the pulleys
yeah neat but what others need to know is that when doing it using this method, extra stress is added to the belt, which then you wont in most cases get the full life out of the belt. Just get yourself a serpentine belt tool and do a job properly.
Thanks bro only video with dohc, been twisting wrenches 30 years... Never seen this before
Was changing my belt today, got it removed, but I couldn't get the new belt on, as the tension bolt was starting to round off ... your vid saved me, thank you.
they haven’t updated this glitch yet, still works!👍
Thank you! Apparently a squirrel decided to take a nap on my drive belt. When I started my 2001 Sable, I heard and felt a loud 'THUMP'! and then the battery light came on. I looked under the hood and the squirrel was wedged in between the front pulley and the chassis (obviously dead). Then I noticed my serpentine belt was off. Thanks to your video I was able to put my belt back on. A suggestion though - you may want to title your video 'removal AND installation' because I almost did not watch all the way through as I thought you were just showing how to remove the belt; however, thankfully you started talking about putting the belt back on and viola! anyway thanks!
Sir, i have to thank you. i fought trying to get the breaker bar into my ford Taurus. what a pain i could not do it. After a Rat decided to make it slip off its alignment i had to figure out how to get it back on. and your rag trick did it amazingly! Once again thank you very much.
Man thank you one thousand times.
the best way to change the serpentine belt ever saved a lot of time,
Bravo !! That's brilliant , I wish I'd thought of that first , ha ha ha !!! I went to replace my belt today on my Ford Taurus 2003 , and realized I didn't have the right tools . Now I can do the rag method and be done with it , thanks a bunch !! :)
I just used this technique on my 02 Ford Taurus/ Duratech. It worked perfectly and it was actually easier than it looked. Great video and information!
Thank you very much for sharing this. I was able to change my serpentine belt very quickly because of it. I'd love to see more maintenance and repair videos on the Duretec V6 3.0L engine for Taurus and Sable if you ever create more. They are a life saver to me and my family.
The most brilliant idea EVER. I messed with my daughter's 2001 Sable to point of wanting take a hammer to the engine over this ridiculous tensioner. The rage technique barely took me 30 seconds. Why oh why engineers make something like that hard is truly beyond me. My only hope though is that the extra stretching on the belt doesn't hurt it from holding on as it should. It seems tight so I'm guessing all is good. Thank you so much for this video!!!
Oh Lord!! I love it!!! I also have the design where there is no room and need that specialty tool to move the tensioner. This was a blast to watch and now I'm going out to change out that darn belt!!!! THANKS!!
Ac compressor, alternator, power steering, tensioner.
Thank you so much for this awesome trick! It worked great for us and saved me (the wife) from my husband getting irate over the fact that he would have needed a special tool :) You rock nbpt1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya gotta join a secret society to own one of these cars.
Good lord, thank you!!!! This saved what's remaining of my sanity! 🤣😭
that was an awesome tip. made it alot easier to put the belt back on my car thanks for your video
The tensioners on these cars use a constant force spring and any extra stress would be very minimal. I agree, a serpentine belt tool is the preferred way, but not everyone has one readily available. If you watch the video you will hear me say that the preferred way is to use a tool (not a rag). The purpose of this video was to show that this can work as an alternate method. It is good to have knowledge of choices and options.
Would this work on 1999 taurus with same duratech engine?
I can not see why not.
Nice trick.
Once you've replaced the belt and the rag is at the front of the pulley pinched between it and the belt you could just pull upwards and slide the rag backwards between the underside of the belt and the top of the pulley to the original start position where it should just slide out as easily as it went in in the first place.
this is a very good idea for the mk6 1.25 fiesta I have.... no aux or ac belt tensioner, relies on a "stretchy belt" design for tension. so all the pulleys are fixed. very frustrating design. I shall try this tomorrow!
done it that way but how do u tighten the belt? i think my belt is loose
The tensioner is a spring loaded device that automatically tensions the belt. If you belt is loose you may need a new tensioner or a new belt......or maybe both.
Thank you for the video. I replaced mine in a relatively short time.
Dima, Thanks for your feedback. I try to provide info for a broad range of skill sets and experiences. I realize that experienced people don't need much detail. Those folks can always scroll ahead.
Thanks again and look for more videos soon.
wowww… THANK YOU!! the design of the tensioner really sucks, with a recessed nut and not enough clearance for a regular socket wrench. saved me a lot of grief!
Homer,
Take a look at my video on removing the serpentine belt with a breaker bar. This may provide you with a good method by only using basic mechanic tools. If it does not work for you then the rag method may be your most practical choice.
Good Luck and thanks for your comments.
Thank u AWESOME IDEA
it did save me tons of money. and it works
The water pump is on the other side.
OK. You have a newer engine version that uses an electric water pump. The concept should still work. If not, chime in with your experience.
only an American manufacturer would devise a way to make a 15 minute job into a "take the whole front end apart" job!
Yes, unfortunately they are all designing their cars like this. If they can save ten cents they will go that route. They need to send their dealer network more repair work to help keep them going. Just look in most owners manuals today and often they say take it to the dealer to check XYZ. They do not want the owner to inspect or fix things themselves. I am sure that is part of the business model.
Ok did you loosen anything before using the rag
No.
Just did this trick today. Thanks for the video.
Putting a new belt on can be a nightmare. Any suggestions? When I get the belt on pulley it falls off another pulley.
As I said in the video a helper is the best way to go or use duct tape to temporarily hold the belt in place.
If you would like to see how to replace your Serpentine belt with an easy alternative method that is often not shown in shop manuals see my video on Serpentine Belt replacement usign a breaker bar.
Thanks for watching
Excellent Sir, I am very happy about that methord
Thanks lot.
wonderful tip.
good trick....could have used that last month...now I have to change the pulley cuz it's plastic and broke a little during install...
thank you. it helped me a lot. didnt know what to do hahahaha.
I had to use this method on my 01 Duratec since the brain trusts at ford didn’t even leave enough room for the belt removal tool to fit.
When your car was new a serpentine belt tool very likely would fit. As your 18 year old car ages the motor mounts get soft and the engine can shift slightly making the space available to access the tensioner a lot less. If you take a look at my video on removing a serpentine belt with a breaker bar you will see some other possibilities that may work for you. You should inspect you motor mounts to make sure nothing is unsafe. Good Luck.
Thanks alot this was so easy to do!!!
That was amazing! Thanks.
You are my new BFF!!!
I wish I could give 💯 thumbs up thank you!!!
Thanks, I was working on an 02 Ford Taurus. There's just not enough room to get a tensioner tool in there. Tried your rag trick, 1st time worked like a charm! Got the old belt off, put the new belt on, took about 1/2 hour. Used a bungee cord to keep a bit of tension on the new belt while I put it on the rest of the pulleys
dondale68 Thanks for the reply and I am glad it help you. The problem you ran into happens more than you may think. Good idea on the bungee chord!
awesome life hack!
Thanks for the video! Thumbs up.
This gets me thinking, how about using my pants belt instead of a rag. Maybe that will work too.
***** If your pants belt is thin enough and strong. sure .. but do you really want to do that? You may scratch it up pretty good.
good video, if You cut out first 3 minutes out of it
thanks for that feed back.
yeah neat but what others need to know is that when doing it using this method, extra stress is added to the belt, which then you wont in most cases get the full life out of the belt. Just get yourself a serpentine belt tool and do a job properly.