Questions and Answers

Ford Escort Serpentine Belt Tensioner Q. Vince, I have a problem with my 1995 Ford Escort. This is a 1.9 liter 4 cylinder, P/S, A/C, automatic transmission with 88,000 miles. The car eats serpentine belts. Every 3 months I have to replace the belt, so far I have replaced three belts. All this started after I brought the car to a local dealership to have the timing belt replaced.

During my last visit to the local parts store, I asked his opinion of the cause and he thought the alignment of the pulleys may be off. So after the last installation, I started the car and checked how the belt looked.

The belt aligned well with the alternator, A/C, P/S but on the automatic tensioner the belt was off the pulley by about 1/8 of an inch. Is there a gasket or a spacer that the dealer forgot to install during the timing belt change out or do I need a new automatic tensioner.

Thanks,
Dave

A. No, there is no gasket or spacer of any kind. The Serpentine Belt Tensioner just bolts right on. It sounds like the tensioner is broken and needs to be replaced.