How to Install a Serpentine Belt on a 1994 Ford Ranger 4 Cylinder
by William Pullman
The serpentine belt in the 1994 Ford Ranger with a four cylinder engine powers many of the engine's accessory units, including the crankshaft and water pump. Serpentine belts often can last up to 100,000 miles or more. Despite the long lifespan, you should check the belt at approximately 60,000 for wear. Replace the belt if you find cracks or other damage.
Step 1
Open the hood of the Ford Ranger and locate the tensioner pulley. The tensioner pulley pulls the serpentine belt tight around all of the accessory system pulleys. You will find seven pulleys in the Ford Ranger engine.
Step 2
Place a socket wrench on the bolt in the center of the tensioner pulley and rotate the pulley up to relieve tension in the belt. The tensioner pulley is located in between the water pump and air conditioning compressor pulleys.
Step 3
Pull the belt off of the tensioner pulley and rotate the tensioner back to its original position. If you remove the wrench before the tensioner is in its original position the tensioner will snap back into place and damage parts of the pulley.
Step 4
Slide the belt off of the other pulleys and discard the old serpentine belt.
Step 5
Wrap the new serpentine belt around all of the pulleys except the tensioner. Refer to the belt diagram under the hood or in the link found in the Resources section for the proper belt routing. The belt should sit in the groove found on all of the pulleys. Hold the belt tight so it doesn't slip off of any of the pulleys.
Step 6
Pull the tensioner pulley up with a socket wrench, slide the belt onto the pulley and return the tensioner to its original position.
Step 7
Check that the belt did not move from the groove in the pulleys.
References
Things You'll Need
- 1/2 inch breaker bar
- Socket wrench set
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.
