Weird Zetec problem ????

[Rivical]

Well, my DD finally dropped the idler pulley yesterday @ nearly 168K.

So, today I go to fix it @ my friends place where I dropped it after work yesterday.

New part from NAPA is exact same diameter as original, Only cost me about $20, WooHoo!! But then the belt wouldn't go back on.

Needed 1/8" more slack all around the AC compressor. It makes contact with about half of that pulleys diameter. So I broke the tensioner trying to get it.

There went another $40! So, that musta been my problem, right? It was already broke, I just finished it off. NO!!!

New tensioner. Same problem. The same belt that I'd had on the car for the past 48K will no longer fit!!!! Mind you, I just had this belt off two weeks ago! It went on again just fine then!

Back to Auto Zone. Third visit to a parts store in three hours of cussing. The belt is the correct 83-1/2" belt. He brings out a fresh one, it's about 1/16" shorter than mine strectched out between my arms. That won't work, mine won't work. So I buy an 84" belt. $30 more or something. Goes on fine, has a minor but annoying rattle/slap sound when the engine kicks off of the starter, and when I underslip the clutch from a stop.

Seriously, What In The WORLD just happened here????????????????????????????????????

Is this just insane? Is there some way to adjust something to fix this issue? WEIRD!!!!
Nothing on this set-up adjust's but that tensioner!!! I've replaced everything but the AC pump now.

I'm stumped.

My friend said that I handled it alot better than he would've. Just kept goin to the store, n adjusting for the ridiculousness.

 

[Waco84GN]

If I had to guess, the new idler pulley probably had a slightly larger diameter. I work at Autozone and when people come in and are looking for idler pulleys and the computer doesnt show one for their vehicle I have to match them up. Just a guess at what happened.

Jerry jr.

 

[Rivical]

Nah, that's not it. That was the first thing I checked. Well before breaking the tensioner, I jacked the motor back up and took it back off to be sure that it was the exact diameter and that I hadn't found some second threaded hole in the darn thing to thread it into. NAPA was the only place who listed a direct replacement, that's why I went about ten miles outa the way to my bud's place to get get it. The idler only contacts the belt across about 30% of it's diameter anyhow, even a modest oversizing should have been acceptable to fitting within the tensioner's range of motion.

So,

Identical replacement idler pulley. Then Identical replacement tensioner. STILL, I've now got too big a belt on this thing, which of course means that I can't WHOOP on it anymore for fear of losing the belt on a 7,200 shift! THAT totally SUCKS!!!!

The only thing's that ever walked away from me from a 65mph start were a deceptively stock looking Talon that was belching rich Black Smoke as it did it and a Porsche 911! This little screamer will hold it's own at speed!

I should add, it's a weak ass Focus SVT that's only good from a 65mph start cuz it's traction limited from a stop, unless you prefer to bog. A friggin Taurus will eat it's lunch from a standstill! But let me get it wound to 6,500 and Go, and it's ON!!!



So seriously, what could be going on here???

This makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever!!!!!