1989 2.3 a/c belt tensioner

[problemchildsma]

I bought a 1989 Ranger, 2.3, manual trans. and the a/c pulley & belt tensioner are missing on it. My husband wants to fix the a/c but he doesn't know what the belt tensioner looks like. We can get the pulley, no problem, but the tensioner is an obsolete dealer item no longer available from Ford. I have tried to locate one on Ebay or from a salvage yard but without knowing what years are compatible and what it looks like, I don't want to buy one that won't work. My son picked one up at a salvage yard that did not work. Was supposed to be off an '89 but turned out to be an '88. Also, I am not sure exactly what it is called. My husband calls it a belt tensioner, but when I look for one for an '89 2.3, nothing shows up. I think the tensioner may not be available as a separate part. If anyone can provide a picture or diagram, that would be extremely helpful. Thanks.

 

[Milton]

Have you tried a repair manual like:
http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Ranger-Bronco-Haynes-Manuals/dp/1563920662/?tag=959media-20

 

[idriveafordranger94]

If I am correct, I believe that an '89 Ranger 2.3L 4cyl would use a serpentine belt system. Therefore it has an automatic tensioner. Ford used the same belt tensioner on their 4 cylinder engines since they went to a serpentine belt system somewhere in the late 80's and all the way through 1997. In 1998 they switched the 2.3 to a 2.5 and changed the design. My suggestion would be to go to a junkyard and compare different styles of tensioners to different model years and engine sizes.

 

[problemchildsma]

I think the engine is the same for '89 thru '94 but I was not sure if the belt tensioner stayed the same. It is a serpentine belt system. I thought if I had a picture I could match it to a couple of items I found on Ebay. They are described as compatible with a 1989 Ford 2.3 but do not say if it is a car or truck. I asked the seller if it would fit a ranger, but got no reponse. I bought the truck for my sister. She has no transportation so we were trying to get the truck a/c fixed & give it to her ASAP. Guess I will give it to her without the a/c for now & see if we can get the part later. I went thru junkyard dog & only got one response for a belt tensioner for $299.00. I may be a dumb blonde, but not THAT dumb. The way we work, it is hard to get to a junkyard during the week and they are closed around here on the weekends. I may try a haynes repair manual. We have one that covers the 6 cylinder but not the 4 cylinder. Thanks for the advice.

 

[v8318cid]

I had a '90 model with the 2.3 that had a serpentine setup, however, it used two smaller belts rather than a single large belt. It used a bolted tensioner that was not auto-adjusting for each belt. I don't know if this system was tampered with, or changed during the life of the engine though. For a point of reference, the A/C compressor was located on the passenger side of the engine, lower end, as opposed to the newer years where it was mounted above the power steering pump on the driver side.