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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Trucks / November 20061996 F150 - green mechanic, new belt
Hello all, I recently bought a 1996 F150, and since it is a second vehicle, I am willing to wade into some simple repairs; I know better than to touch my primary transportation :) I have done some basic stuff on small engines, including rebuilding a couple of carburetors -- I know just enough to be dangerous. The truck has a straight 6 and manual transmission. It was a nice mix of (hopefully) correctable problems and low mileage (75k). The scary part is that the head was clearly changed, and one wonders what happened to make that necessary. Can't be good, but I bought a 3/36 extended warranty that covers much of the drive chain. So far, I am _really_ impressed with it. There is a long list of repairs to be done, which I used in talking the price down. Most of it I would not dare attempt. On the list were a new thermostat and sepentine belt, and I couldn't resist. The thermostat turned out to be interesting as Haynes' description of the thermostat screwing into the cover was not very accurate. My first attempt resulted in an impressive leak. The second time, I used sealant to hold the thermostat in the cover, and let it cure a while. So far, it appears to be holding. I will wait for better light and do some reading before running the engine and heater to fill it and do a more careful leak check. So far, I am cautiously optimistic. My real reason for posting is the belt. I can't quite get the new one to reach around the last pulley, despite having the tensioner (I think) rotated all the way back using a 2 ft bar designed for the job. I reinstalled the old belt to check the routing, and to wrap up what I was doing. Is there any trick to a new belt vs. one that has stretched? Bill > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Bill Are you sure you have the right replacement belt? Take it back and get one a couple of inches longer.  SignatureDavid M (dmacchiarolo) http://home.triad.rr.com/redsled T/S 53 sled351 Linux 2.4.18-14 has been up 48 days 18:08 Bill Schwab wrote: 1996 F150 75K Straight 6, Manual Trans I am a green mechanic. I bought this truck used, with a 3/36 extended warranty that covers much of the drive chain. The head has been changed, for unknown reasons. I installed a new thermostat, using sealant to hold it in the thermostat cover, and let it cure a while. The Haynes manual description of the installation was not very accurate and the installation leaked the first time. I will do some more reading and a careful leak check this time. There is a problem installing a new serp belt. It won't quite reach around the last pulley, despite having the tensioner rotated all the way back using a 2 ft bar. Is there any trick installing a new belt vs. one that has stretched? __________________________________________________ The only trick I know, if it is the right belt, is to be sure the last pulley is a smooth pulley, with no flange; usually the tensioner pulley. Take your old belt to the auto parts store. They have a gauge that tells exactly what length belt you have. They wrap the belt around two pulleys, move the pulleys apart until the belt is tight, and measure the distance between the pulleys. They then calculate the belt length. Check your new belt length on the gauge. If it is different, then buy the right length belt. If it is the same, go back home and ask your next door neighbor for help. No kidding- every neighbor is an expert when it comes to serp belts. No gauge? Here's a rough way to find whether the belts match: Stretch the old belt between a coffee cup and one engine pulley. Measure the distance from the coffee cup to the pulley. Do the same with the new belt. The new belt should measure about 1/4 inch shorter. Good luck. Rodan. COUPLE OF INCHES????? no >> Hello all, >> [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >Are you sure you have the right replacement belt? >Take it back and get one a couple of inches longer. Too much or too little? When I exchanged it, they said they were giving me a 98 inch belt in exchange for what was 97 inches. That was just enough to make it over the final pully. It wasn't completely obvious that it was going to be ok, but it worked, and having done it, I am confident I could do it again. Bill > COUPLE OF INCHES????? > no [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] >> Are you sure you have the right replacement belt? >> Take it back and get one a couple of inches longer. > COUPLE OF INCHES????? > no Sure. The tensioner can easily take up an inch or two. >>> Hello all, >>> [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] >>Are you sure you have the right replacement belt? >>Take it back and get one a couple of inches longer. SignatureDavid M (dmacchiarolo) http://home.triad.rr.com/redsled T/S 53 sled351 Linux 2.4.18-14 has been up 2 days 3:08 Had the same problem with my 89 F-150 with the same engine and trans. There are two belts for this truck. I had to pull the part number off of the old belt and have the store match it. It's only about an inch longer, but it makes the difference. Mark > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Bill Mark, > Had the same problem with my 89 F-150 with the same engine and trans. > There are two belts for this truck. I had to pull the part number off > of the > old belt and have the store match it. It's only about an inch longer, > but it > makes the difference. You and the others who responded called it. The belt numbers were both 970K6, but the new one wouldn't fit. Any thoughts on how the old one fit before it stretched? Anyway, AutoZone swapped it for a 98 vs. 97 inch belt, and it fit. Then came the moment of truth: running the engine to temp after my thermostat repair. Last night I simply topped the radiator, backed out of the garage, moved the truck out of the way, and shut off the engine. There was a little smoke or steam around the thermostat housing, but nothing that would not make sense given the coolant that spilled during the job. Today I started with the engine cold and the radiator cap off. I was a little nervous that I still had a leak because the level was much lower than I had left it last night, and there was still a lot of water on the bottom of the engine and other low places. Assuming any leak would become obvious, I cranked the engine, turned on the heater, and started filling the radiator until it stopped taking fluid, and then capped it. Then I added just enough to bring the overflow to the cold level and alternated between feeling for heat in the cab, watching the temp gage, and looking at the engine for signs of trouble. All seemed well. The gage started to move, and shortly after I noticed the heater beginning to do its thing. At one point I shut off the engine, but the top hose wasn't warm, so I kept going. I was a little concerned about the thermostat, but the hose finally warmed up. I also noted that the overlow reservoir was starting to take fluid. I ran the engine for (I think) ten to maybe fifteen minutes. The temp gage never went above mid range (straight up). No steam, no ugly noises, last I looked, it hadn't blow up. How'd I do? Feel free to be blunt. Absent loss of fluid or other signs of problems, would you drive it next? Bill > Mark, I'd let it cool down, pop the rad cap and top it if necessary. Maybe repeat that once, if you had to add more than a quart of fluid. Otherwise, I think you've got a winner. -phaeton >> Mark, > > I'd let it cool down, pop the rad cap and top it if necessary. Maybe > repeat that once, if you had to add more than a quart of fluid. > > Otherwise, I think you've got a winner. Sounds good. Thanks to all! Bill Hello all, So far, so good. Last night, I found the radiator almost full, and started driving on neighborhood streets. The engine warmed up quickly, and there were no obvious leaks, so I moved on to nearby major roads (45 mph) for a mile or so, then returned home to find the top hose as it should be, and still no leaks. Then I drove a few miles to get some food, this time running the A/C. Both truck and driver lived to tell the tale :) My thermostat replacement seems to be sound. I hesitate to declare that I fixed the problem that lead to the inspection-day coolant dump, but I also cannot rule out that the dealer had simply over filled it. Worst case, I learned some things replacing an $8 part. I am also much happier having the new belt. From the inspection, I know that the truck needs brake and suspension work (and I negotiated the price accordingly), but I will leave that to the pros. There will probably be alternator and water pump replacements to do soon enough. The radiator appears to be fine, but it too is on my watch list. The A/C is off limits for me. Are there any other components that I should not attempt to replace myself? Next on my tinkering list is probably the instrument panel lights, which are intermittent. My plan is to preplace every bulb I can find. Do you happen to know if there are any bulbs that might be difficult to obtain? The truck has a drop-in bed liner that I would like to remove and replace with some kind of coating to avoid sliding and scratching. We didn't find anything terrible under it, but it needs to be sanded and painted some time soon. For the new liner, a friend recommended something along the lines of http://www.nonslipcoating.com/. Any better ideas? I also have some fender scratches to cover. Appearance is not much of a concern, but rust is unwelcome. Speaking of that, is there anything you would do to the frame, under body, etc.? Again, I'm thinking about preventing rust to preserve what is starting to look like a really good find. Thanks again! Bill |
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