How to Install a Serpentine Belt on a 2000 Mustang V6
by William Pullman
The serpentine belt on the 2000 Ford Mustang with a V-6 engine is used to drive many of the accessory devices in your vehicle. The belt does not need replacement as often as some of the parts in your Mustang, but it will eventually wear down. If you inspect the serpentine belt and discover cracks or breaks, you should replace it with a new belt.
Step 1
Open the hood of the Mustang and locate the serpentine belt. The belt wraps around seven different pulleys, including the crankshaft, water pump, air conditioning condenser, alternator and the power steering pump. The two additional pulleys are the tensioner and the idler.
Step 2
Take note of how the belt is routed. The replacement belt must sit the same way on all of the pulleys. A belt diagram is located under the hood to help you figure out the routing. A link to the diagram is also provided in the Resources section. (Note that the correct diagram for the Mustang V6 engine is the 15th picture on the page).
Step 3
Place the 15-mm wrench on the bolt in the middle of the tensioner pulley and rotate the tensioner to the left to loosen the belt. Do not release the tensioner as it will snap back into place, causing damage to the pulley.
Step 4
Remove the belt from one of the pulleys and slowly move the tensioner back to its original position.
Step 5
Take the belt off of the other pulleys and remove it from the engine compartment.
Step 6
Wrap the replacement belt around all of the pulleys except the tensioner. Use the belt diagram as a routing guide. The belt sits in the middle of the pulley groove when correctly installed.
Step 7
Move the tensioner to the left, slip the belt over the tensioner pulley and gently rotate it back into position. The belt will tighten over all of the pulleys when the tensioner is moved back in place.
Step 8
Check all of the pulleys to ensure the belt is properly placed.
References
Tips
- Prevent injury by allowing the engine to cool off before replacing the serpentine belt.
Things You'll Need
- 15-mm wrench
- Replacement serpentine belt
Writer Bio
William Pullman is a freelance writer from New Jersey. He has written for a variety of online and offline media publications, including "The Daily Journal," "Ocular Surgery News," "Endocrine Today," radio, blogs and other various Internet platforms. Pullman holds a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Rowan University.
