How do you replace the drive belt in a 2000 Ford Focus?

Answer 1

First, draw a routing diagram of the belt system to refer back to when putting the new belt on.

Drive the vehicle up on some ramps or raise the front end of the vehicle, take off the bottom plastic cover to access the belt / pulleys. Two bolts in this case on the cover, easy to get to them.

Next, from top of the vehicle, if you look closely with a light, the tensioner has a 1/2 square socket fitting on top of it for a 1/2 extension to fit in, use that to take the tension off the belt. You don't need to put a wrench on the pulley bolt, it is to hard to get to. I had to use a 3/8 rachet with a 3/8 to 1/2 adapter and a short 1/2 extention to get to it. The 1/2 rachet will not fit in, to small of an area, the 3/8 rachet just fit with the adapters.

I then used a long breaker tube to fit on the handle of the 3/8 rachet to use as leverage to pull the tensioner loose and then placed a piece of wood between it and any obsticle I could find to keep the rachet handle tension on the tensioner and proceed to go underneath and start taking the belt off.

If you need a diagram of the belt routing I can email it to anyone that needs it, in case you did not draw a diagram before you started the project.

The last obsticle is to take the piece of wood out, that is keeping the tensioner open and let the tension off the tensioner and then be able to get the socket extension off the tensioner. Two people make it easier but with a little work you can accomplish it.

Randy

Website: cammhsm.com

Email: rharper@cammhsm.com