can't get the serpentine belt back on, 2001 taurus

[htchbck]

Ok, I replaced the water pump yesterday on Dad '01 Taurus 3.0 V6 OHV (not FFV or DOHC). Came back this morning to put everything back together and install the belt. I can't get the belt back on no matter how hard I try. Even with the automatic tensioner (I HATE THOSE THINGS!) rotated all the way back it still looks like the belt is lacking 3/4 of an inch. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what, I'm following the routing diagram in the haynes manual but maybe it is wrong? Anybody got any tips or tricks how to get this thing back on there before we have to tow it to a mechanic?

[nonamekid]

double check that the belt is routed the right way. I had a hard time with my 1996 Taurus (same motor) when I replaced the alternator. I had too much slack though.

[htchbck]

Yeah, I have done it on both a 90 and an 87 but it wasn't this much of a pain on those. I tried routing it the only other way that it can still going around all the pulleys in the proper direction and its pretty loose so I'm guessing its wrong. I may try it that way and crank it and see if it flies off lol

[FB71]

there's a belt routing decal on the radiator support, follow that one instead of Haynes.

[htchbck]

^^^ thats what I would've used, but the decal is missing (I can still see the square of sticky stuff on there though from where it was). I think I may have found the issue though. All this time I was assuming the belt was correct since its the one that was already on there. However, I just crossed referenced some part numbers and the correct belt for that car is (85.5" long), but the belt thats on there now is a Gatorback 4060835, which as I suspected from the last three digits is 83.5" long. By my leftover recollections of geometry it would make sense that my extra 1/2" to 3/4" that the belt wouldn't reach is part of the diameter of the pulley, and multiplying that by pi should give me the extra (roughly) 2" that I need in length to properly circumnavigate the pulley. I thought the belt was ridiculously tight when I was trying to pull if off, but given the evil nature of the auto tensioners I figured it was just one more attempt by FoMoCo to make my life as family mechanic miserable as possible :lol: So anyway, I'm off to the parts store for correct belt, hopefully that will fix things up for me.

[NovaSS]

The belt on my car ends in 855 also, its a 1999 with the 3.0

[htchbck]

yeah, thats the same as dads, same way I have mine routed, same belt its supposed to be, and the same diagram that I was using from the haynes. I went to the parts store and picked up an 85" (the system also lists that as a replacement belt for the car) and they didn't have an 85.5". Should be ok cause there is a good bit of play in that tensioner pulley anyway, and if not I'll have them order the 85.5". I'll post again either way when I go back tonight and try it. Thanks for the help though, especially the pics

[elcamino1]

If you have a Advanced Auto Parts store nearby ask for a printout of the routing of the belt.

[jglutz]

Compare the new belt to the old belt (if you are using a new belt)
Not familiar w/ 3.0L...but does the tensioner arm have a location for a 3/8 or 1/2 square drive...look for a square hole in the are of the tensioner and insert a breaker bar w/ an extension....they swing much easier that way.

[htchbck]

Well I got it back on, used the correct belt and everything went fine. The stupid mechanic my dad used to use messed a lot of stuff up when he replaced the AC compressor and one of the things he did was replace the belt with the wrong one. Me and dad went back and found an old pic of the engine bay from after the install and it turns out he had routed it incorrectly to make it fit. I didn't even look at it much when I took it off cause I knew I had the diagram anyway. But the right belt is on now and the engine is still leaking antifreeze from somewhere on the back of the motor lol, but the water pump is ok... curse tauruses and their plague of crappy cooling systems... I woud still probably own two taurus wagons today if it wasn't for the cooling systems failing catastrohically

[25Horseplay]

^^Headgaskets.

[FB71]

not on the 3.0's. More than likely its a rotted core plug.

[scitzz]

If you route the belt wrong, it seems likely something would turn ass-backwards, don't it?

[htchbck]

^^^ it may have been lol... it was only about 5000 miles ago that the belt was changed... would explain why the cooling system has been a lil funky lately... and maybe thats why we have more trouble in the system lol. I'll report the damage later once the job is done.

[phantorn]

I am working on an 01 taurus 3.0 ohv with the timing cover gasket leaking kinda like the old 5.0 used to do.

My favorite with them is when the rust the fins off the water pumps the first one drove me crazy took awile to figure out what was going on.