okay, well, this morning I went to start up the 98 3.0 and the serp belt shredded and started flapping all over the place. shut it off, and got a new ride to work. On the way home, I picked up a new idler pulley and a new belt (pulley seemed to be squeaking) and after wrestling with the dern pulley for a good half hour, the belt wouldn't fit. yes, I was playing with the tensioner and all. Well, I went to the auto store and got a size bigger belt and it still wasn't going on. It was past closing time for the store and couldn't go get a bigger one, so we pried and cranked the belt on. When I cranked it, the ratchet that we used for the tensioner got lodged inbetween the fan and the tensioner. We can't get the ratchet out or the belt off, and we're pretty much in a jam. Help?

 

anyone...?

 

It usually takes more than 27 minutes for an answer... if it's really that stuck you might have to cut the belt off!

 

cut it off.

 

your tensioner is most likely shot when mine stared squeaking I thought the same thing and replaced a perfectly good idler pulley. try replacing the tensioner i had same fitment problems with new belt after sqeaking pretty much same thing that happened to you the new tensioner should give you more room to fit the new belt on. hope that helps

 

got a new tensioner and now all is well in the world.