How To Replace A Ford Fusion Serpentine Belt
Replacing your Ford Fusion's serpentine belt is a pretty simple task any car owner could do with proper instructions. The main problem with these belts is that they are usually found under the hood. That's why most people don't think about doing the job themselves.
Replacing a serpentine belt is actually easier than a lot of people think. The main thing to remember is that the belt needs to be routed through the pulleys the right way to work as it should. If you own a Ford Fusion, this serpentine belt replacement tutorial is for you.
Signs That Your Serpentine Belt Has Gone Bad
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A serpentine belt isn't a part that's built to last the lifetime of the vehicle (such as radios). A Ford Fusion serpentine belt should last between 60K and 100K miles. Sometimes another issue within the system causes the serpentine belt to fail early.
If your Fusion's serpentine belt goes bad, you'll notice some (or all) of the following symptoms
- The air conditioner stops blowing cold air
- The power steering suddenly becomes a lot harder to use
- Squealing noise coming from the engine bay
- Engine temperature increase
- Reduced electrical power (i.e. stereo failure or dimmed headlights)
This diagnostic guide will help you determine if the serpentine belt has gone bad.
Finding The Right OEM Replacement Serpentine Belt For Your Ford Fusion
The first step to replacing the belt on your Ford Fusion is buying the right one. Even though there are many different kinds of belts, each car has a somewhat unique type of belt it uses. That's why it's very important to get a serpentine belt that's made for your Fusion. The safest bet is to get an OEM replacement belt.
Look up your particular Fusion here to get the right part number for your car. If you order from that catalog, you'll get a genuine OEM serpentine belt at wholesale pricing. Please contact us if you need help finding the right serpentine belt for your Fusion.
How To Replace A Ford Fusion Serpentine Belt
The Ford Fusion is a compact car with a lot crammed into the engine bay. That's why the idea of replacing the serpentine belt intimidates a lot of car owners. It's actually pretty easy if you know what you're doing. It also helps a lot to have the right set of instructions, which you can find right here:
- Park the car on a level surface.
- Jack up the front end of the car and then prop it up with jack stands.
- Remove the front right wheel (the passenger's side).
- Study the serpentine belt path so you can remember it later, or perhaps take a picture.
- Remove the fender liner in the wheel well where the passenger's side wheel was located. There should be about 5 clips holding it in place. Be sure not to break these clips when removing the fender liner.
- With the fender liner off, you can see the belt tensioner. Turn it clockwise to loosen the tension on the serpentine belt. You can do this with a long ratchet and a deep socket.
- Be sure to check the tensioner and idler pulley too. If they have too much play or another type of issue, replace them along with the belt.
- Keep loosening the belt tensioner until it's easy for the serpentine belt to come off.
- Remove the serpentine belt.
- Make sure you have the right serpentine belt path. You can find it in the owner's manual.
- Install the new serpentine belt according to the path diagram. Make sure all the grooves on the new belt line up with the pulleys, tensioner, and idler pulley.
- Release the serpentine belt tensioner.
- Start the engine and see if the belt spins as it should. If it begins to slip off, then it wasn't positioned correctly on one of the pulleys.
- If everything looks good, put the fender liner and the wheel back on.
- Lower your car and take it out for a test drive. See if all the symptoms have disappeared. Check the serpentine belt again after the test drive to see if it's installed correctly.