The 1987 Mercury Cougar has one complete serpentine belt on the front of the engine that controls all of the accessory pulleys. The serpentine belt has ribs on the inside of the belt that travel inside of the grooves in each of the accessory pulleys. Once the serpentine belt develops cracks inside of the ribs, it will not be long before the belt breaks.
Tools Used: 1/2-inch drive pull bar, 1/2- to 3/8-inch reducer socket, 3/8-inch drive 5/16-inch socket, Replacement serpentine belt
Install Serpentine Belt
Open the hood of your 1987 Mercury Cougar and locate the serpentine belt routing diagram on top of the fan shroud. If you can't locate the serpentine belt routing diagram, take a notepad and pen and sketch out the routing direction of the old serpentine belt. Use this diagram when routing the new serpentine belt around the pulleys.
Locate the serpentine belt tensioner. The serpentine belt tensioner on the 1987 Mercury Cougar is located on the front of the engine, either between the alternator and the power steering pump or between the alternator and the air conditioner pump. You will notice that the tensioner has a big spring-loaded arm on one end and a pulley on the other end. The tensioner also has a 5/16-inch bolt head in the center of the tensioner pulley.
Slide the 1/2- to 3/8-inch reducer onto the 1/2-inch drive pull bar. Insert the 5/16- inch socket onto the 3/8-inch drive end. Position the pull bar and 5/16-inch socket onto the 5/16-inch bolt head in the center of the tensioner.
Turn the serpentine belt tensioner counterclockwise with one hand and remove the serpentine belt from the tensioner pulley with your other hand. Release the tensioner.
Remove the serpentine belt from the remaining pulleys and remove the belt from the engine compartment.
Slide the new serpentine belt around the bottom crankshaft pulley. Follow the serpentine belt routing diagram for routing the serpentine belt around the remaining pulleys. Leave the tensioner pulley for last.
Place the 1/2-inch drive pull bar and 5/16-inch socket back onto the tensioner and turn it counterclockwise. Slide the new serpentine belt around the inside of the tensioner pulley. Release the tensioner and it will tighten the belt inside of the pulleys. Inspect the belt to ensure that it is inside all of the pulleys.
Crank the Cougar and inspect the serpentine belt again to make sure that it stays seated inside of the pulleys.
Tips & Warnings
The serpentine belt part number for a 1987 Mercury Cougar is: Dayco-DY5060960.
If the serpentine belt is not completely seated inside of each pulley, it will come off while you are driving down the road and leave you stranded.
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