Need help. Do I need a new starter? (video)

Yep. The alternator seized up. Went ahead and replaced the alternator and belt. Only part that was a pain was the tensioner pulley. It takes a 3/8 drive, so i just stuck my ratchet in there, turned it and put the belt on.

The problem i ran into is that i couldn’t get my ratchet off the pulley since the belt caused the resting position of the pulley to be different than before the belt was on. The resting position was in a very tight spot. I ended up having to take off 2 of the 3 nuts that held the pulley in place to slide the pulley and get the ratchet off. I put the pulley back on snug, and used lockjaw pliers on the pulley w/ a pole for leverage. It was extremely scuffed because there wasn’t enough room for the pliers to get a good grip on the pulley. I am very glad that it didn’t slip while I had my fingers down there.

If I had some kind of 3/8 drive breaker bar where the head is flat, it would have been a much easier job.

I put everything back together and the car started up fine, belt looked fine, and the car ran great. Didn’t see any messages on the dash about the charging system (I had seen the message previously when the first belt broke)

My only concern is that i lost a lot of radiator fluid because i had to disconnect a hose to take the fan off. If i had to guess id say i lost about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts. After i put everything back together and went for a 15 min drive, i popped the hood to check the fluid level but it was still at the top. Now i know that cant be right lol

Nvm i just checked the radiator fluid again and its way lower. I guess it just needed some time to circulate

About $10 at harbor freight.

When I’m faced w/that situation, I drain some coolant out the bottom of radiator into a clean bucket, then just pour it back into the radiator later, sieving out any foreign debris.

No experience myself, but maybe somebody here has tips to offer up on the easiest way a diy’er can safely deal with Ford serpentine belt tensioners.

Thanks for the summary & update, that’s helpful. Glad your car is back on the road and purring like a kitten!

OP already said it, use a 3/8 breaker bar, I think Bing even said it is about $10 at HF… or simply use the correct tools for the job… lol

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