That's a good idea no matter what, considering those parts should be replaced in the interval I posted earlier. Please don't take that as a slight toward you. A lot of people who work on their own vehicles have a mindset of "If it ain't broke, don't touch it". They don't fully comprehend, or want to comprehend, the fact that vehicle maintenance schedules and needs have evolved a great deal in the last 30-years.

Case in point: Ford Taurus automatic transmissions were notorious for going bad (90s vehicles) and they had a bad reputation. Ask most guys how often they change the fluid and filter in their transmission, and you'll get answers like: "Never"; "If I remember"; or the infamous; "If it's never been done, don't ever do it". Going back to my Taurus example, the owner's manual explicitly stated the transmission was to be serviced every 30K miles (fluid and filter change w/ band adjustment). In other words, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Years ago, I owned a Ford Escort and the parts counter jockey at my FLAPS was giving me a hard time for owning one. She claimed they were unreliable money pits. With a perplexed look on my face, I gave her a list of every service I had performed on the vehicle.

Shocked, she replied, "Oh! You regularly maintain your vehicle?"

"Of course I do. Everything wears out and there's a reason for the mileage service
intervals in the maintenance manuals."

"Ohhhhh. Most guys come in here, grumbling about what pieces of junk their cars are because they're spending $500 or more to repair them. So sorry about my comments."

A lot of people think oil is the only fluid that should be regularly changed. Brake fluid should be changed every three years or when is it noticeable dark (the fluid should always be clear/translucent). The same holds true with engine coolant. How many people think about the service interval for the rear end fluid?

Just something to think about. We've all been in the situation where we park our vehicle one day, and the next day something goes south and we're puzzled. Preventative maintenance saves a lot of time and headaches.

 

No slight taken. I am a firm believer in PM and maintain my vehicles religiously. But I will freely admit that while I have replaced the serpentine belt a few times (on this and other cars and trucks), I have never replaced a tensioner or idler pulley ever. Either due to failure or as a scheduled time change. But with 173K miles, it makes sense to do so.

 

Before I order this part online and get frustrated, if you have a 2005 with a 4.7L, is your tensioner a separate unit from the idler, or is it an assy with both pulleys? Searching online shows me both. If the assy replaces both at once, great. But it is hard to tell from looking at the engine (looks like an assy). What say?

I went somewhere this morning and took a back road. Shifted into 4H and the 4x4 light did not illuminate. Went to check the transfer case switch and found the grommets shot. None local so have to order. Then I attempted the intermittent wiper motor fix, as I have had issues with that for years. Took the motor out, cleaned the contacts, greased and reinstalled it. It works, but still have the issue. Lot of work for little benefit today!

 

Never mind. I found the correct part and ordered it, along with the idler pulley, the switch and the grommets.

Maybe one day I'll get around to pulling the dash off to replace the burned out lights behind the heater controls and oil pressure gauge. Maybe. At least I installed some upgrade halogen headlamps today as well.

 

Tensioner and transfer case switch arrived. Switch is correct, but waiting on the grommets. Tensioner is not correct. Ordered another from Amazon and returning the incorrect one. Darn.

 

Wow. Although it looked good and the pulley felt ok, the tensioner spring was shot. What held the belt on is beyond me. The new tensioner assy had a larger diameter idler pulley but the belt fit as it should. Whining noise was eliminated.

I thought this task would be the hard one (I loathe removing bolts in the engine block), but it took maybe all of 20 minutes from start to cranking the engine. She's purring like a kitten again.

 

I thought the noise was gone but it’s back. I had two experienced wrench turners tell me they were sure it was the alternator. So I changed the alternator (left old belt on to test) and noise was still there. Took belt completely off and no noise. Installed new belt just in case. Still have noise.

So it can only be the A/C compressor, the power steering pump or the fan clutch and/or water pump. To me it sounds like it’s coming from the right side of the engine, which tells me it’s likely the compressor. It appears to work fine and turning the pulley by hand it feels fine. I wish I had a way to isolate components with the engine running. Very frustrating.

 

Get yourself an automotive stethoscope. It makes isolating odd noises MUCH easier.

 

That's my next purchase. Enough throwing $$ at parts. Although...the idler and tensioner were shot and the alternator is 12 years old and 173K, so it was worth changing anyway.

 

If your A/C works, it's easy to test.... Start the engine, let it idle, turn on the a/c. If the noise doesn't change when the compressor cycles, it ain't the compressor.