The Basics

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jeffcoslacker
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The Basics

Post by jeffcoslacker »

I used to be so good about making sure I covered the basics when I worked on a machine...car, bike, washer, whatever.

I find that now that I don't do it daily I tend to sometimes get ahead of myself and neglect the basics, maybe just in a rush to finish the job, as my physical condition makes it more difficult now and I can't enjoy it as I used to.

But that will jump up and bite you on the butt, as you know. Hurrying only invites the opportunity to do the job twice.

Got bit a couple of days ago.

My friend has a 2006 Ranger 4.0 V6. Problem was a chirpy chatter coming from under the hood. Easily identified as belt/pulley noise, sounded like it was coming from the idler pulley up top, which is a common failure item, and the serpentine belt tensioner is jittering nervously, also a sign of a pulley bearing in distress.

I told him it was PROBABLY the idler bearing, but it could be the tensioner pulley bearing, or any of the other belt-driven items, but those were the common and likely suspects. Told him I'd take the belt off, give everything a fling, see what we've got.

Well the idler sounded good, but freewheeled completely. Some people would think this means it's good. Quite the opposite. A bearing should turn smoothly, but freewheeling is a sign of lack of lubricant. The drag that the lube imposes should prevent freewheeling. And this pulley kept turning happily a good 20 seconds after being spun. It's on the way out.

When I spun the tensioner pulley, I knew I'd found my culprit...it sounded awful. It had a loud roaring hiss to it, and when turned slowly by hand you could feel the roughness in its bearing. I removed the tensioner and took the pulley/bearing off of it.

I told Bob the tensioner is the problem, but the idler is well on its way, and we might as well replace it too long as we're this far into it. He asked about the belt...the belt appeared new by all measures, including, I'd noticed before starting to take it off, being well into the 'new' range on the index of the tensioner. Ah ha...bet you didn't even know that was a thing, huh? Yeah, the tensioner arm and body have marks that indicate the degree of belt stretch, and give a good indication as to how used up the belt is.

This belt still had the manufacturing label crisply printed on the back (smooth) side, no cracks or excessive embedding of particles, nice dark black color...it may as well be new. Nope, no reason to replace it. We'll put these pulleys on and we'll be good to go.

Got the new pulleys, installed them, and aside from a bit of difficulty getting my fat arms to work within the restricted space available to move the tensioner and get the belt back on, just as I'd fought to get it off in the first place, everything went smoothly. Started the motor, it sounds like new again. Satisfied, I put the tools away.

Bob and his wife took the truck when they went out that evening. I was outside when they came back, and noticed a rhythmic chirping and underlying chattering coming from the engine bay...FUCK. It's back. Not as loud or complex as before, but it's definitely there. I told him I'd have a look in the morning.

Next day, I go back over my work. Did I forget to tighten something, or miss a groove on one pulley when putting the belt back on, despite my best efforts? No.

What I see...tensioner is still jittery...something I had not looked at to confirm after finishing the day before, convinced that I had fixed the problem. The spring tension of the arm felt fine, I was sure that was not the issue. Then putting a wood dowel to my ear and listening around confirms the sound as coming from the IDLER, which is where my hearing placed it anyway, in the beginning. WTF?

Aggravated and a bit perplexed, I stomped off to the garage to grab some tools. I remove the minor items in my way so I could shove in my arms which now look like they've been run over a cheese grater after yesterday's fight to get this belt off. This 3/8" breaker bar I'm using is the only thing that works on this one, but it's very short so no leverage, and the price I pay for range of motion (a longer bar would hit interference) means no leverage, so extreme effort, as well as being buried to my armpits to reach the damn thing. Which, in this tight space, also means lots of raking my arms across metal edges of fan blades and other stuff. Oh and getting my fingers painfully smashed between the bar and other pulleys if I lose control of the tension momentarily. It sucks, in other words. I'm not really anxious to do it again.

I loosen the belt, unthread it, and start to give it the cursory examination I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN IT YESTERDAY...except that after the difficulty in getting it loose, it was SO obliging by just remaining docile looped loosely around where it belonged, that I was unwilling to unthread it. Especially since it looks like new.

This, as it turns out, is where this story went off the rails. As I looked the belt over, and ran it through my fingers, I could see and detect a spot where the belt's corded structure was stretched. There was a slight bump, or radius, in the belt there, even when held stretched straight. I could even feel it as I pulled in between my fingers. The fucking belt is bad.

Now no doubt the pulleys were shot, especially that tensioner. It was ready to fall apart and set the belt free any day now. But back in the day, I KNEW that you never assume anything, and examine ALL the working parts involved in any issue before proclaiming it fixed. This was my bad. I know better.

As I threaded the new belt on, I wondered what happened to that belt to cause it? It's not a common manufacturing defect, I know that because I've NEVER seen it. In fact, usually the only way it happens is when some newbie or lazy tech gets frustrated because they can't move the tensioner enough with the tool they are using so they pry it onto the last one with a screwdriver, or they just feel lazy and wrap it halfway around the last pulley then bump the starter and let it self-mount the pulley...that kind of shit is where cord stretch happens.

And I could see it happening here. As a rule, you always make the water pump or the idler the last pulley you wrap it around, as you lever the tensioner. Because they are backside (smooth) pulleys and have radiused pulley faces. So you are sliding the flat side of the belt onto it, over a curved pulley that helps it slip on easily. Groove side pulleys always have a lip on the outer edge, and resist allowing that toothed belt to slip over. That's auto repair 101 stuff. Yet there are those who haven't learned it yet. In shops. All over the country. Be aware.

As it was, since the belt was new and therefore shorter, it took every bit of swing in that tensioner, as well as every bit of arm strength I had left, as well as contorting myself into a very non-optimal position before I could JUST BARELY slip that belt over that idler with the last of my strength, at least for a day or two. Whew. Can't believe I used to do this shit and more all day, every day.

But I could see where a tech with less experience, and perhaps not knowing the magic rule about serpentine belt installation, might get frustrated and cheat, and damage the belt in the process. Not excusable.

Then again, neither is neglecting to examine all the moving parts involved in a problem.

Guilty. :bonk:

wally w
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Re: The Basics

Post by wally w »

Sometimes when I finished working on my car or bike I'd have a bolt or 2 left over. These have to be thrown over your Left shoulder or you are fucked.

Tbeck
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Re: The Basics

Post by Tbeck »

Standard rule where I come from says any bad pulley gets a new belt. As I was reading about your repair I was thinking two things; 1 was why you weren't replacing the belt and 2 did you check the water pump... :lol:

jeffcoslacker
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Re: The Basics

Post by jeffcoslacker »

Tbeck wrote:Standard rule where I come from says any bad pulley gets a new belt. As I was reading about your repair I was thinking two things; 1 was why you weren't replacing the belt and 2 did you check the water pump... :lol:
Yeah all the components got spun and checked. I've seen/heard water pump weeping causing belt noises of course, but not so much on the Ford 4.0. Some engines are just prone to it, all in where the weep is in relation to where the belt runs...

RoadKing
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Re: The Basics

Post by RoadKing »

wally w wrote:Sometimes when I finished working on my car or bike I'd have a bolt or 2 left over. These have to be thrown over your Left shoulder or you are fucked.
Yep. Best post this thread.
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more.
It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury…
Signifying nothing”

Signifying monkey, stay up in your tree. Always lying and signifying, but you better not monkey with me.

Tbeck
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Re: The Basics

Post by Tbeck »

Jeffco I had one several years back, just like yours, replaced everything just like you did, and the damn water pump was bad as well. No weep or leak but sure did make noise, Lol

jeffcoslacker
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Re: The Basics

Post by jeffcoslacker »

Tbeck wrote:Jeffco I had one several years back, just like yours, replaced everything just like you did, and the damn water pump was bad as well. No weep or leak but sure did make noise, Lol
Pump bushing chatter sounds very different to my ear. Easy enough to locate with a stick anyway, as I said I listened all around for the source.

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Re: The Basics

Post by HARRIS »

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED !
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You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck

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