Replacing serpentine belt and tensioner 2002 Conti

[69GTX]

My original serpentine belt has been slowly spitting off little tiny "melted" rubber pieces for the past 15 months or more. The belt itself is not cracked or missing any V's. There's a tiny oil leak either from the inner, lowest part of the front valve cover gasket or the power steering system that drips on to the belt and the very forward end of the belt system. It's such a slow leak that you just can't see anything dripping. My mechanic said it's causing the belt to slowly disintegrate, hence the rubber pieces. He didn't think it looked that bad at 72K miles compared to others he'd seen. It's no worse looking today than last year...no squeals or signs of belt flopping.

I'd like to put it to bed. At the same time why not change out the 16 year old tensioner and idler pulley and go in there only once? If there is a valve cover leak, I have to do the front VC gasket & front plugs/coils. Probably not a bad time to do the upper radiator hose and/or thermostat while that hose is emptied. So for one oil drip that doesn't even make it to the ground, and doesn't show up in the reservoir/oil pan usage, I have to consider doing half a dozen things. Sheesh. If my mechanic does all this, it would probably run me $1,000 parts and labor, especially if they put someone on the job who has never done a transverse engine shoe-horned in like this one.

I'd sort of like to tackle it myself but have a feeling I'd get caught on something (stripping out the #40 Torx bolt for the tensioner, breaking something on the engine when jacking it up 1.5", etc.). I've spent several hours on line seeing who has done it and how.... half a dozen different versions of how this procedure can be done. You would think there was one "best" way? The Ford procedure has you installing a special 3 pt sling on the upper engine and cranking/screwing it up with passenger side motor mount nuts removed. Most everyone else mentions jacking up under the oil pan with a wood block. Ford also has you drain coolant, remove a coolant hose, get both PS reservoir and Degas bottle out of the way, and remove inner wheel well shroud. Trying to slip the new belt into a sliver of a space sounds like fun too. Some of the accounts I've read were from people who just got stuck on their own and had to have the car towed to their mechanic.

Any advice from those who have done it would be appreciated. 2002 Lincoln Continental 78K miles. Ordered a Motorcraft replacement belt to ensure it does fit properly. Also ordered lower radiator air deflector as mine is missing 2 of the 5 mounting tabs, and the actual vertical dam section is long gone to some parking lot curb. I don't ever recall if that was even on the car when I first got it.

 

[SatinSilver]

Labor charges can be a killer. Maybe go on CL, click automotive services, then search for "ASE Master". Not that this is fool proof but you may find someone good to do the work who's looking to make some money on the side.

 

[Panzerman]

I had the sane Lincoln and had the serpentine belt replaced and the one roller pulley replaced and don't remember it being really expensive or a big deal for them to change it. I basically had about everything replaced on that car at in time or another.
I think I told you how my relationship with my Lincoln soured but I remember the oil pan gasket was around $200. I know I replaced them separately because the pulley bearings didn't go until much later after the belt was replaced.

 

[69GTX]

The idler pulley can be replaced a bit more easily as it sits higher up away from the frame and only requires belt tension to be released to unbolt it. Two people could probably do that in 5-10 minutes (one keeping tension off the belt). It's when you get to the belt tensioner which sits lower and right across from the inner fender frame that it gets harder. There's only about 1" to 1.5" of clearance in there. That's why they have you jacking up the engine 1.5". And use tools with at most 1" of extension. I've seen some people say they did it without jacking things up. That might require a very specialized tool with minimal clearance. If it were just the belt/idler pulley I could go with the mechanic. But the tensioner and valve cover gasket/leak adds 2 more levels of difficulty to it. I got 232K miles on my 1997 Conti and I think I changed the belt once...not sure I ever did the tensioner. I gave all those receipts to the next owner.

The approx $1000 job would include belt, tensioner, idler puller, valve cover gasket, 4 spark plugs/boots/coils...at $100/hr labor. $300 in parts, 6-8 hours of labor + tax? Just guessing.

I have a neighbor 100 yds down the street that is a long time garage mechanic/former owner. Not sure I want to impose on his spare time to watch over me if I get in trouble. I'm sure the last thing car mechanics want to do after seeing cars all week, is another car after hours.

 

[Merkava_4]

Why does the engine have to be lifted up ?

Is it for getting the drive belt off, or changing the valve cover gasket ?

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Why does the engine have to be lifted up ?

Is it for getting the drive belt off, or changing the valve cover gasket ?


For the belt tensioner assembly. There's not enough room in there for most people. Though some have claimed they did it w/o lifting the engine. When the engine is lifted approx 1.5 inches, that allows the bolt on the tensioner to get free of the inner frame/inner fender. Imagine that Ford came up with this crazy lift sling to enable them to lift the engine from aboard. Only Ford dealers might have that equipment...for a simple tensioner no less.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
For the belt tensioner assembly. There's not enough room in there for most people. Though some have claimed they did it w/o lifting the engine. When the engine is lifted approx 1.5 inches, that allows the bolt on the tensioner to get free of the inner frame/inner fender. Imagine that Ford came up with this crazy lift sling to enable them to lift the engine from aboard. Only Ford dealers might have that equipment...for a simple tensioner no less.


So you're saying the car's frame prevents the tensioner bolt from backing all the way out ?

For $1000, I'd buy whatever I needed from Snap-on and after I was done, I'd keep the tools.

 

[ford46guy]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
My original serpentine belt has been slowly spitting off little tiny "melted" rubber pieces for the past 15 months or more. The belt itself is not cracked or missing any V's. There's a tiny oil leak either from the inner, lowest part of the front valve cover gasket or the power steering system that drips on to the belt and the very forward end of the belt system. It's such a slow leak that you just can't see anything dripping. My mechanic said it's causing the belt to slowly disintegrate, hence the rubber pieces. He didn't think it looked that bad at 72K miles compared to others he'd seen. It's no worse looking today than last year...no squeals or signs of belt flopping.

I'd like to put it to bed. At the same time why not change out the 16 year old tensioner and idler pulley and go in there only once? If there is a valve cover leak, I have to do the front VC gasket & front plugs/coils. Probably not a bad time to do the upper radiator hose and/or thermostat while that hose is emptied. So for one oil drip that doesn't even make it to the ground, and doesn't show up in the reservoir/oil pan usage, I have to consider doing half a dozen things. Sheesh. If my mechanic does all this, it would probably run me $1,000 parts and labor, especially if they put someone on the job who has never done a transverse engine shoe-horned in like this one.

I'd sort of like to tackle it myself but have a feeling I'd get caught on something (stripping out the #40 Torx bolt for the tensioner, breaking something on the engine when jacking it up 1.5", etc.). I've spent several hours on line seeing who has done it and how.... half a dozen different versions of how this procedure can be done. You would think there was one "best" way? The Ford procedure has you installing a special 3 pt sling on the upper engine and cranking/screwing it up with passenger side motor mount nuts removed. Most everyone else mentions jacking up under the oil pan with a wood block. Ford also has you drain coolant, remove a coolant hose, get both PS reservoir and Degas bottle out of the way, and remove inner wheel well shroud. Trying to slip the new belt into a sliver of a space sounds like fun too. Some of the accounts I've read were from people who just got stuck on their own and had to have the car towed to their mechanic.

Any advice from those who have done it would be appreciated. 2002 Lincoln Continental 78K miles. Ordered a Motorcraft replacement belt to ensure it does fit properly. Also ordered lower radiator air deflector as mine is missing 2 of the 5 mounting tabs, and the actual vertical dam section is long gone to some parking lot curb. I don't ever recall if that was even on the car when I first got it.


The PS leak will destroy your AC, if it is like the 95. I replaced the PS pump, it wasn't fun.

The belt is very doable, it isn't worse than a Corolla. You have to twist the belt to get it in. I had it off a few times. The tensioner, I say leave it be. If it has tension and the pulley passes the spin test I would LEAVE IT ALONE. That is what a Lincoln dealer told me. They don't touch it unless there is a problem, it is high quality part. It could easily turn into a 4 figure job.

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: ford46guy
The PS leak will destroy your AC, if it is like the 95. I replaced the PS pump, it wasn't fun.

The belt is very doable, it isn't worse than a Corolla. You have to twist the belt to get it in. I had it off a few times. The tensioner, I say leave it be. If it has tension and the pulley passes the spin test I would LEAVE IT ALONE. That is what a Lincoln dealer told me. They don't touch it unless there is a problem, it is high quality part. It could easily turn into a 4 figure job.


Something to dig into further with some things pulled out of the way. Not sure if a PS leak or a valve cover leak. Could be both too. Have to dig in there. There is some oily buildup on the clutch electrical plug on the AC compressor. At 16 yrs old, the AC system is probably ready for some work. Doesn't blow quite as cool as it did 5 yrs ago.

I'll take your advice and just try for the belt after checking tensioner function and an idler pulley spin test. Thanks.

 

[Panzerman]

I think it's the power steering. Checking the color of the fluid is a sure way to see.
Mine was leaking power steering fluid. Only leaked bad enough to leave any on the ground when there was a temperature change though. Always went on the compressor though and was softening up the ac hoses.
At that point I was pretty much done with car restoration though and keeping it perfect.
It was classified as beater car when the transmission started to go south so unless it actually stopped it from running or made it unsafe it stayed leaking. Got to watch sinking money in a old car.
You put a quarter in it and it isn't worth a nickel more.
Since they haven't made that car in 15 years now it's re- sale or trade in isn't real good. I d definitely be at don't fix unless it's broke unless you like car restoration.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
For the belt tensioner assembly. There's not enough room in there for most people. Though some have claimed they did it w/o lifting the engine. When the engine is lifted approx 1.5 inches, that allows the bolt on the tensioner to get free of the inner frame/inner fender. Imagine that Ford came up with this crazy lift sling to enable them to lift the engine from aboard. Only Ford dealers might have that equipment...for a simple tensioner no less.


So you're saying the car's frame prevents the tensioner bolt from backing all the way out ?

For $1000, I'd buy whatever I needed from Snap-on and after I was done, I'd keep the tools.

Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast with a transverse mounted DOHC V8.

It's been a few since I've been under the hood of a Continental, but my dad had three of them('98, '99, and '01) so have a bit more than a passing familiarity with them. EVERYTHING under the hood is snug. That's also not counting the barge-like turning radius(the Town Car is MUCH better in that respect despite being a lot larger) and enough torque steer to jerk the wheel out of your hands if you lay on the gas too heavy.

 

[ford46guy]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
I had the sane Lincoln and had the serpentine belt replaced and the one roller pulley replaced and don't remember it being really expensive or a big deal for them to change it. I basically had about everything replaced on that car at in time or another.
I think I told you how my relationship with my Lincoln soured but I remember the oil pan gasket was around $200. I know I replaced them separately because the pulley bearings didn't go until much later after the belt was replaced.


I have to do the oil pan gasket, but in a way it is a good thing to have oil down there in the rust belt, there is no corrosion and it is a very minimal leak. There is a low oil sensor on the car.

 

[69GTX]

No way to check the fluid color as it doesn't get past the frame or K member where it's all just jet black gunk, no pooling up anywhere. The PS, AC hoses do have oil on them as well as the coolant hose to the bottom of the degas bottle. Just haven't seen the PS reservoir level drop at all this year. The interior valve cover bolts were a tad loose so those were tightened up earlier this year. The inner corner VC bolts seemed plenty tight.

Spent a half hour under the car on ramps. Still can't separate out the source for certain. But, I was shocked to see a literal pile of muck stuck to the bottom of the tensioner frame/pulley....it had a beard! That's engine center line area, and quite a ways away from the lower front valve cover...and PS pump/pully...and even further away from the PS reservoir hoses. The belt is actually in much better condition than I thought - thick and w/o cracking, where just the surface has been worn smooth and shiny. Don't see seals out of place on the tensioner/idler pulleys. Might be feasible to just find this weep (it took 50,000 miles to make a little mess) and contain it with a "sponge" or something that gets changed periodically. Oil pan gasket shows no leaks. Maybe a tiny weep at the crankshaft main seal. It's not much. Rear valve cover looks tight.

I agree the car doesn't have much value. Probably $3,000 now...but rust free, decent paint, and fresh on all fluids. After a thorough undercarriage inspection today, all suspension, steering, exhaust, braking, cat systems look real good. There's not much to be worried about at 78K miles except this drive pulley area weepage. I'll continue to poke around this weekend. Got a better view of where that #40 Torx bolt is for the tensioner - about 3/4" max from the inner fender frame. But, I'll follow Ford46guy and leave it all along. I've ordered a new Belt but may not even replace that yet....just get the weepage minimized the hoses cleaned up...quite a pain with the tight access. No intents of "restoring" this car. Just ensuring I slow its demise and keep it reliable for a few more years. This car will likely mechanically fail in the drive train long before it ever rusts out. 16 years so far and it's 95-98% rust free. Could not find a rot hole anywhere on the car after 2-3 hours underneath it...just surface rust. And those few spots on the undercarriage/pans/bumper brackets/cat hangers/fasteners/brackets I touched up with some Eastwood Corroless. I've driven the past 7 winter 8 New England winters, though never in the slush or accumulated snow. That has helped. My 1997 Lincoln went through 8 winters as well as a daily driver in every day of bad weather, even when the plows wouldn't go out...lol - and was darn rusty underneath the car by 225K miles.

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: bunnspecial

It's been a few since I've been under the hood of a Continental, but my dad had three of them('98, '99, and '01) so have a bit more than a passing familiarity with them. EVERYTHING under the hood is snug. That's also not counting the barge-like turning radius(the Town Car is MUCH better in that respect despite being a lot larger) and enough torque steer to jerk the wheel out of your hands if you lay on the gas too heavy.


I've had 1997/2002 Lincoln Continentals since 2001 when I bought my Dad's car with 29K miles. I bought my current ride in 2009 with 22K miles. 260,000 miles on Lincolns in 16 years. I've really enjoyed driving these cars. I like the performance/handling and the FWD in the winter on all season tires. Plenty of pep with 265-275 hp and a very steep torque curve that nearly comes all in by 3,000-4,000 rpm. I'd buy a 3rd one if it was mint with super low miles like my first two. Yes, the tight engine access and rear suspension air bags are a pita. My 1997 went to 232K miles and the engine was never opened up once. The original trans on that one shifted perfectly its entire life....not bad for a Taurus V6 transmission. A nice feature with these Lincolns is the spacious cabin and trunk stowage. It's not far from being a small pickup truck.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial

It's been a few since I've been under the hood of a Continental, but my dad had three of them('98, '99, and '01) so have a bit more than a passing familiarity with them. EVERYTHING under the hood is snug. That's also not counting the barge-like turning radius(the Town Car is MUCH better in that respect despite being a lot larger) and enough torque steer to jerk the wheel out of your hands if you lay on the gas too heavy.


I've had 1997/2002 Lincoln Continentals since 2001 when I bought my Dad's car with 29K miles. I bought my current ride in 2009 with 22K miles. 260,000 miles on Lincolns in 16 years. I've really enjoyed driving these cars. I like the performance/handling and the FWD in the winter on all season tires. Plenty of pep with 265-275 hp and a very steep torque curve that nearly comes all in by 3,000-4,000 rpm. I'd buy a 3rd one if it was mint with super low miles like my first two. Yes, the tight engine access and rear suspension air bags are a pita. My 1997 went to 232K miles and the engine was never opened up once. The original trans on that one shifted perfectly its entire life....not bad for a Taurus V6 transmission. A nice feature with these Lincolns is the spacious cabin and trunk stowage. It's not far from being a small pickup truck.


The '97 to '02 Contis and also the last gen Mk VIII had a lot of really neat "tech" features that I wish would come back.

In particular, the side view mirrors tilting down in reverse on the Conti-to me-is brilliant. When I would drive it for a few days, I would get use to being able to see parking lines and curbs out the mirrors and wonder why other cars didn't do it. I also loved that the seat and steering wheel would go to their memory position based on which key fob you used to unlock it. My dad's '98 had the RESCUE system, although he never had the phone to go with it-that really was a fascinating system for a late 90s car.

I have an itch for a Mark VIII, and have been eying a 75K '98 on Craigslist here locally. One of the other neat "touches" on those is that they actually lower an inch or so on the interstate for better aerodynamics.

I never had to deal with the air suspension on any of the Contis, although I've changed a few TC airbags(between my mom and my grandfather, I've looked over 5 separate cars in the '97 to '06 range). The TCs aren't terrible as you only have one bag at the center of the live axle. I thought that the Conti used air struts instead of air bags. Is that not the case? I know that they definitely had a very different feeling ride to me than the TC-they seemed to "float" over bumps rather than just soaking them up like the TC if that makes any sense.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast with a transverse mounted DOHC V8.

It's been a few since I've been under the hood of a Continental, but my dad had three of them('98, '99, and '01) so have a bit more than a passing familiarity with them. EVERYTHING under the hood is snug. That's also not counting the barge-like turning radius(the Town Car is MUCH better in that respect despite being a lot larger) and enough torque steer to jerk the wheel out of your hands if you lay on the gas too heavy.


So after the engine is raised, do you go in through the fenderwell to get the tensioner bolt out ?

 

[ford46guy]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast with a transverse mounted DOHC V8.

It's been a few since I've been under the hood of a Continental, but my dad had three of them('98, '99, and '01) so have a bit more than a passing familiarity with them. EVERYTHING under the hood is snug. That's also not counting the barge-like turning radius(the Town Car is MUCH better in that respect despite being a lot larger) and enough torque steer to jerk the wheel out of your hands if you lay on the gas too heavy.


So after the engine is raised, do you go in through the fenderwell to get the tensioner bolt out ?

You can then do it under the hood. Another 1/2" and it wouldn't be necessary.

 

[ford46guy]

Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial

It's been a few since I've been under the hood of a Continental, but my dad had three of them('98, '99, and '01) so have a bit more than a passing familiarity with them. EVERYTHING under the hood is snug. That's also not counting the barge-like turning radius(the Town Car is MUCH better in that respect despite being a lot larger) and enough torque steer to jerk the wheel out of your hands if you lay on the gas too heavy.


I've had 1997/2002 Lincoln Continentals since 2001 when I bought my Dad's car with 29K miles. I bought my current ride in 2009 with 22K miles. 260,000 miles on Lincolns in 16 years. I've really enjoyed driving these cars. I like the performance/handling and the FWD in the winter on all season tires. Plenty of pep with 265-275 hp and a very steep torque curve that nearly comes all in by 3,000-4,000 rpm. I'd buy a 3rd one if it was mint with super low miles like my first two. Yes, the tight engine access and rear suspension air bags are a pita. My 1997 went to 232K miles and the engine was never opened up once. The original trans on that one shifted perfectly its entire life....not bad for a Taurus V6 transmission. A nice feature with these Lincolns is the spacious cabin and trunk stowage. It's not far from being a small pickup truck.


The '97 to '02 Contis and also the last gen Mk VIII had a lot of really neat "tech" features that I wish would come back.

In particular, the side view mirrors tilting down in reverse on the Conti-to me-is brilliant. When I would drive it for a few days, I would get use to being able to see parking lines and curbs out the mirrors and wonder why other cars didn't do it. I also loved that the seat and steering wheel would go to their memory position based on which key fob you used to unlock it. My dad's '98 had the RESCUE system, although he never had the phone to go with it-that really was a fascinating system for a late 90s car.

I have an itch for a Mark VIII, and have been eying a 75K '98 on Craigslist here locally. One of the other neat "touches" on those is that they actually lower an inch or so on the interstate for better aerodynamics.

I never had to deal with the air suspension on any of the Contis, although I've changed a few TC airbags(between my mom and my grandfather, I've looked over 5 separate cars in the '97 to '06 range). The TCs aren't terrible as you only have one bag at the center of the live axle. I thought that the Conti used air struts instead of air bags. Is that not the case? I know that they definitely had a very different feeling ride to me than the TC-they seemed to "float" over bumps rather than just soaking them up like the TC if that makes any sense.


95 and 96 had 4 wheel airbags (like the mk8). 97 had rear airbags like the TC. In addition there were computer controlled struts, and they cost a fortune to replace. After 97 that became an option, but the rear air was standard.

I replaced the air suspension with cheap springs, wasn't worth it to me to get the air repaired. There is an aftermarket now for the 95-96 fronts, guess there are still plenty on the road.

These cars are great in the snow, was in the mountains and there was a heavy snowstorm on hills, I had all seasons but the Traction control really did well. Maybe moreso than newer cars, it has that dual throttle system. Very well engineered car.

The trans is a built up version of the Taurus. Very heavy duty. So I was told

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: ford46guy
You can then do it under the hood. Another 1/2" and it wouldn't be necessary.


Interesting. Can you do it with a floor jack or do you need Ford's special engine sling ?

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: ford46guy
You can then do it under the hood. Another 1/2" and it wouldn't be necessary.


Interesting. Can you do it with a floor jack or do you need Ford's special engine sling ?


Several of the write ups I went through on line showed them jacking under the oil pan with a wood black to get that needed 1-2" lift. Some said they did it w/o touching the passenger side motor mount nuts. Others said they loosened them until only a few threads remained engaged. I even went through one Utube video where the guy said this job was a piece of cake...and he didn't jack the car. But he did remove the inner wheel well cover and degas bottle. He must have had tiny hands and a special tool to access that tensioner bolt.

Tensioner removal video ...I love the use of a bird bath as a parts receptacle. And this shows the same kind of rubberized oily mess slung around the belt area from wear/disintegration. Guy said he got the tensioner, idler, and belt all replaced in an hour. My kind of mechanic.