Instructions for 6.0 Powerstroke Serpentine Belt Replacement
by Allen Moore
The 6.0 liter Powerstroke was Ford Motor Company’s diesel engine of choice from 2003 to 2006. The early 6.0 engines had a unique serpentine belt system that had the upper radiator hose running through the belt. Unfortunately, when the belt broke, it would damage the hose, so Ford engineers redesigned the system in late 2004, by adding a bracket and new upper radiator hose that ran above the belt. While the early models require a few extra steps, replacing the serpentine belt on a 6.0 Powerstroke is a straightforward task easily accomplished by anyone with basic auto-repair skills.
Step 1
Raise the hood on the Powerstroke and find the belt-routing diagram, located on either the fan shroud or the underside of the hood. The diagram illustrates the proper belt routing as well as belt tensioner location. If your 6.0 is a 2003 to 2004 model with the radiator hose running through the belt, move to Step 2. If not, move to Step 4.
Step 2
Slide the drain pan under the front of the truck so that it sits directly below the upper radiator hose. You can see the ground easily when looking down from the top of the engine well near the hose. Loosen the hose clamp on the hose where it connects to the radiator using the screwdriver.
Step 3
Slide the hose clamp back along the hose and then pull the hose off the radiator inlet by hand. Point the open end of the hose upward to avoid losing any coolant and fold it back, through the belt opening and wedge it between the thermostat housing and intake until you are ready to reinstall it.
Step 4
Move the belt tensioner away from the belt using the serpentine belt tool. Push the belt out of the tensioner pulley’s path with your other hand and then relax the pressure on the tensioner and allow it to move back into place.
Step 5
Pull the belt off the accessory pulleys and crankshaft pulley by hand. Stretch the old belt out alongside the new serpentine belt to ensure they are the same length. The old belt may have stretched up to one inch during its service life, which is perfectly normal.
Step 6
Route the new belt around the bottom of the 6.0’s crankshaft pulley. Refer to the routing diagram and route the belt around each of the accessory pulleys until the only pulley left is the belt tensioner. Move the tensioner aside once more with the tensioner tool and push the belt into position with your other hand before moving the tensioner back into place.
Step 7
Move the upper radiator hose back through the belt and slide the hose end over the radiator inlet. Slip the hose clamp back into position and tighten it down with the screwdriver. This step only applies if you needed to move the hose earlier.
References
- "Ford Super Duty F-250 & F-350 Pick-ups and Excursion 1999 thru 2006: Haynes Manual"; Ken Freund; 2006
Tips
- If done correctly, you won’t lose any coolant. However, if you did lose any, replace that amount with equal parts Ford gold coolant and distilled water, poured into the degas bottle, also known as the coolant overflow tank.
Things You'll Need
- Drain pan (optional)
- Screwdriver (optional)
- Belt tensioner tool
- New serpentine belt
Warnings
- Never open a cooling system unless the engine is cool to the touch.
Writer Bio
Allen Moore's career includes awards in poetry and creative fiction, published lyrics, fiction books and nonfiction articles as well as a master certification in automotive service from the Ford Motor Company. Moore is a contributing writer for RF365.com and various other websites, a ghostwriter for Rainbow Writing and has over a dozen works of fiction currently in print.
