October 1989

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Dear Tom and Ray:
I have an '84 Ford Ranger with a 2.3 liter four-cylinder engine, air conditioning, and power steering. Since the truck was fairly new, it has made a "ringing" noise. It sounds a bit like a circular saw. It seems to come from the belts and pulleys, yet the belts look fine. Please give this matter your immediate attention because it has been on my nerves for the last five years.
David

RAY: It probably is the belts. Since you didn't get the six cylinder engine in this truck, and you haven't taken it to a mechanic in five years, we're going to assume that you've been too cheap to change the belts. They may look OK, but they're probably glazed and slipping; it may be that they were never tensioned correctly when the truck was new. New belts should eliminate the noise.

TOM: The other possibility is that you have mis-aligned pulleys. If the pulleys are even slightly displaced, strange noises can result. Check your yellow pages and see if there's a non-profit organization in your area which helps displaced pulleys.

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© 2006 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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Auto repairs can be costly! Save money by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet: "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.