68whiskey
New member
2002 Sport Edition, 281k miles. So the past winter I started noticing an issue where in cold temperatures (zero to 30's Fahrenheit) the infamous fan noise was not occurring when starting my 4R. The motor itself runs exactly how it should, but the fan does not want to kick on right away like it normally would without a little convincing. More recently, its started doing it almost every time it rains in the warmer temperatures as well. In the rain, there's a bit of belt squeal and then the fan kicks on as it should while the engine is still warming up. All 3 belts were replaced about 6 years ago (about 30k miles) and all seem to be in good shape in terms of appearance; there aren't any real visible signs of wear.
In addition to this, the other day I started it up when it was a bit colder than it has been, in the low 40's, and when turning the wheel I could feel the power steering skipping as I went from center to lock. I don't ever hear any whines from the power steering at all, and this only lasted for about 10 seconds until the fan kicked on and then all was well. It has not happened since.
This is an intermittent issue for sure, but it's starting to become more frequent and I can almost guarantee it will happen in either cold weather or when its warm and wet outside. Getting ready for the ridiculous winter to come, I had the following services done: Oil change, coolant flush, front/rear diff fluids changed, transmission/transfer case fluid changed, spark plugs, and NGK wires. I don't want to deal with this all winter, so at this point I'm wondering whether it's a belt issue, tension issue, both, or one of the pulleys (idler, alternator, power steering). The reason I bring up the alternator is that when the heat or AC is cranking and the headlights are on, you can notice the headlights dim and the blower slow down when coming to a stop. I don't know if these are all separate issues or somehow connected.
Since I don't ever plan on getting rid of this thing, and it just turned over 281k miles, Im thinking about replacing all of the belts and related pulleys/tensioner, possibly the alternator. There has been a ton of scheduled maintenance done on this thing since new, and I have continued that trend as the third owner. Zero rust, daily driven, and super solid. I wouldn't waste the money otherwise. I know there are a few things going on here, any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
TL;DR --> Cold and warm/rainy days the belts squeal and the fan won't kick on like it normally would when it starts up. Headlights dim under load, power steering started acting up a little. Im wondering if they're all connected by a belt/pulley issue or if they are all separate issues.
In addition to this, the other day I started it up when it was a bit colder than it has been, in the low 40's, and when turning the wheel I could feel the power steering skipping as I went from center to lock. I don't ever hear any whines from the power steering at all, and this only lasted for about 10 seconds until the fan kicked on and then all was well. It has not happened since.
This is an intermittent issue for sure, but it's starting to become more frequent and I can almost guarantee it will happen in either cold weather or when its warm and wet outside. Getting ready for the ridiculous winter to come, I had the following services done: Oil change, coolant flush, front/rear diff fluids changed, transmission/transfer case fluid changed, spark plugs, and NGK wires. I don't want to deal with this all winter, so at this point I'm wondering whether it's a belt issue, tension issue, both, or one of the pulleys (idler, alternator, power steering). The reason I bring up the alternator is that when the heat or AC is cranking and the headlights are on, you can notice the headlights dim and the blower slow down when coming to a stop. I don't know if these are all separate issues or somehow connected.
Since I don't ever plan on getting rid of this thing, and it just turned over 281k miles, Im thinking about replacing all of the belts and related pulleys/tensioner, possibly the alternator. There has been a ton of scheduled maintenance done on this thing since new, and I have continued that trend as the third owner. Zero rust, daily driven, and super solid. I wouldn't waste the money otherwise. I know there are a few things going on here, any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
TL;DR --> Cold and warm/rainy days the belts squeal and the fan won't kick on like it normally would when it starts up. Headlights dim under load, power steering started acting up a little. Im wondering if they're all connected by a belt/pulley issue or if they are all separate issues.
