Belt Tensioner for '95 Bronco

[Horned Frog]

Greetings and thank you for all who contribute to a great forum. I've been driving my girlfriends '95 Black Beauty and just finished doing the regulator motor and door latch on the tailgate---thanks for all the help I got from reading your posts. My alternator was going out on my 7 hour trip home for Christmas. Lucklily the Angel working at Autozone stayed late to help and when the Tensioner mount bolt broke off he towed me almost two hours home with his personal trailer. Now that my testaments to good mechanics and people, Autozone, and the Christmas Spirit are over here's the facts.

The belt was way to tight and barely got back on the new alternator and was tight as **** and barely slipped off. Then the bolt broke and the part that hits the belt fell off. It's a Ford Factory bolt. The fly wheel for the air pump is blocking the bolt that holds the tensioner arm so its a great big crap shoot.

The belt seemed slightly loose before I started in on the alternator and I wonder if the mount didn't fowl up in the process of getting the belt loose. Also, the steering gets a little wonkey when I get it up around interstate cruising speed and it gets loose on turns. This makes for a headache in tight traffic and wasn't sure if anyone else had the problem or maybe if it could be attributed to the belt being a little loose.

Looking for any advise on getting to the tensioner are if anyone has had this problem before or any advise on loosening the air pump enough to loosen the belt that will hopefully get the tensioner mount arm off (crossing fingers while busting knuckles).

Thanks for your help and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!!!!

Matt

 

[Horned Frog]

Looking at the diagrams of a "replacement part" it looks as if there is a star shaped bolt that holds it on rather than a bolt hidden by the air pump fly wheel. This bolt would seemingly be affected by the spring on the tension mount pulley though. If anyone has changed one please holler at yer boy.

Thanks and will continue to update...this beats holiday shopping but I'm still spending money I don't want too...***????

Matt

 

[Seabronc]

That is a Torx head bolt, probably a T50 or T55. From what I understood the belt was very tight. If so, it was probably too short and you need one a couple of inches longer. Did you use a socket or tensioner tool to swing it out of the way while you installed the belt?

Good luck,

>-

 

[miesk5]

yo!

Hate to post a LINK to a diff Bronco Forum, but...

Pulley & Idler Rebuild in a 96 Source: by boss

Belt & Pulley Tensioner Replacement in a 96 5.8 Source: by stan the man

 

[Seabronc]

yo!Hate to post a LINK to a diff Bronco Forum, but...

Pulley & Idler Rebuild in a 96 Source: by boss

Belt & Pulley Tensioner Replacement in a 96 5.8 Source: by stan the man

Good find /

>-

 

[BroncoJoe19]

I didn't quite follow exactly which bolt snapped off, but I am pretty sure that some if not all of the pullys are held on with left handed threaded bolts. Meaning that one would turn it clockwise to loosen it.