Change a Ford Aerostar Serpentine Belt
The serpentine belt on your Ford Aerostar is a long belt that powers all the accessories on the van. An auto tension pulley applies tension to the belt. Check your Aerostar's serpentine belt every 60,000 miles for wear. Any sign of fraying or damage to the belt or belt teeth indicates that you must replace the belt. You can buy replacement serpentine belts for the Aerostar from most auto parts stores.
Instructions
1. Open the hood and place a socket wrench over the auto tension pulley bolt. The tensioner is on the top center of the pulley system and will not appear to be driving any other vehicle accessories or components.
2. Turn the socket wrench clockwise with the socket wrench to release tension on the belt. You may need to slide a hollow breaker bar over the end of the socket wrench handle for additional leverage.
3. Slide the belt off the tensioner.
4. Allow the tensioner pulley to return to its fully tensioned position.
5. Route the new belt according to the belt path printed on the underside of the Aerostar's hood. Orient the belt so that the slack in the belt is near the auto tension pulley.
6. Turn the pulley tension bolt clockwise again, and slide the belt over the tensioner pulley.
7. Allow the pulley to return to the fully tensioned position. The correct amount of tension will be applied to the belt automatically.
Tags: socket wrench, auto tension, auto tension pulley, Ford Aerostar, tension pulley