Litens Belt Tensioners & Pulleys
See what we have from Litens

RockAuto now offers Litens aftermarket belt tensioners and pulleys. Litens developed the first mass-produced automatic tensioner in 1979 (for V-8 Ford Mustang and Mercury Capri belt drive systems), and they are now the world's largest supplier of original equipment belt tensioners - found on over half the vehicles on the road. Litens OE replacement tensioners and pulleys are made from high quality materials, often in the same factory as the original equipment part, and typically include installation instructions for a simple and long lasting repair.

Litens OE heritage is also coupled with their commitment to aftermarket improvements, such as the Easy Button™ tensioner for hard to service applications like later model Ford and Lincoln SUVs. The Easy Button™ tensioner allows the installer to tackle the replacement alone, eliminating the need to hold the tensioner while routing the belt.

Litens Belt Tensioners and Pulleys

Find Litens Belt Tensioners and Pulleys under the "Belt Drive" category in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Another Happy Customer!
Another Happy Customer!

Excellent experience! I was able to find all of the parts I needed, for two different vehicles, for a third of what I would have spent at a local parts store. Site is easy to navigate and shipping was quick ...

Josh in Texas

Automotive Trivia
Automotive Trivia

What was the first product Permatex developed in 1909?

A. Leather adhesive for automobile roofs

B. Shellac to bond tires to rims

C. Chrome polish

Answer below

Repair Mistakes & Blunders
Repair Mistakes & Blunders

"Hey sweetheart my low tire pressure light is on," said my wife recently. I headed to the garage and plugged in the compressor. I grabbed the tire inflator, and while I waited for the compressor to top off, I checked the pressures on all the tires. They all had 35 psi as they should per the sticker on the drivers door post of the 2018 Ford Escape.

I scratched my head, unplugged the compressor, and headed into the house to research possible reasons why. I only got more confused as the low tire pressure light was not flashing which would indicate a system malfunction.

There is no reset button for the system so I tried a few of the suggestions including airing the tires down to 10 psi below the pressure specification, raising the pressure back up to where it should be and then driving for 15 minutes over 50 mph so the sensors had time to recalibrate. Well, as you might have guessed that didn't work. I borrowed my friend's TPMS learning tool and re-educated the sensors while driving the car for a day or two. The light remained illuminated....

On day four, I finally broke out my laptop and connected to the car with diagnostic software to do a deep dive into the TPMS data which is found in the Body Control Module.

Up first was the list of all the low pressure warnings from the numerous times I deflated and inflated plus all the past low pressure warnings. Now not being a whiz with the diagnostic software, it took me a bit to find the actual tire pressures at their current state in kPa (kilopascal). They were all within three kPa of each other. Scratching my head before finally thinking to convert kPa to psi, I discovered all the tires were nine psi low!

Lesson learned? Just because you have a name brand tire inflator doesn't mean it works right. I inflated the tires watching my laptop screen and no more low tire warning light. It took four days to figure out my tire inflator was reading nine psi high!

Steven in Missouri

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The Importance of “Why” Questions
Tom's Story

I helped my oldest daughter fix a coolant leak on her beloved 2005 Ford Mustang 4.0L V6. Coolant was dramatically spraying from the thermostat housing hidden below the throttle body. I enjoy repairing things with my kids because their "why" questions remind me of all the important scraps of knowledge I have gathered over the years. It is fun to recollect some of the mistakes, mentors, manuals and more that taught my head and hands how to do things that I now do on auto-pilot. Here are examples of my daughter's "why" questions that may jog your own memories and/or help you guide a protege someday.

Why replace the entire thermostat housing when the guy in the Youtube video just replaced the thermostat's gasket? The first plastic thermostat housings were notorious for distorting and leaking. Whether it is plumbing on a car's engine or plumbing in a bathroom, it is usually better to replace an entire assembly rather than trying to guess where a 20-year-old part's current leak is or where the next leak may be. A new thermostat housing assembly that includes a new thermostat, gaskets and additional parts may cost a lot less than just a few of the parts purchased individually. Plus, you avoid having to do the disassembly work all over again when the next piece leaks. After we got the old plastic thermostat housing off the engine, we put a bright light inside it (see photo) and discovered it was leaking along a seam running down the side of the housing.

Leaky thermostat housing

How is a person supposed to know what 85 inch pounds of torque feels like? People with more experience may have hands that intuitively know the difference between lightly tighten, firmly tighten and tighten the living tweedle out of it. However, my daughter's question reminded me of the mounting flanges I broke off an alternator ~40 years ago by over-tightening the bolts. No matter how experienced your hands are, it is always a good idea to pull out a torque wrench when you have good access to the fasteners. We got the wrench and followed the torque specifications in the Mustang repair manual (found under "Literature" at RockAuto.com); nothing broke and nothing leaked.

Why is the new coolant yellow, and why do you keep having me re-check the coolant level days after the engine was fixed? In the previous century, coolant color was often just a marketing thing. Most coolant was green, but some coolant manufacturers had their own color, and you could pick blue coolant to match your eye color if you wanted to. I have to keep reminding myself that cars built this century often require their own special coolant and other chemicals. Owners manuals, repair manuals and the RockAuto.com catalog are great places to find out what coolant, oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, etc. your specific vehicle must have.

Some cooling systems retain air pockets. To avoid overheating the engine, it sometimes takes a lot of careful filling, topping off and driving to get the bubbles out. I had my daughter turn the interior heat on and drive the car up and down steep roads in the neighborhood while frequently stopping to check the radiator's coolant level. It seemed pointless to her because the radiator only needed one minor refill.

This V6 and several other Ford engines have a hose running from the radiator coolant reservoir down to a splice in the lower radiator hose. This t-shaped hose configuration may look odd, but being able to pour coolant directly into the lower radiator hose directly feeds the water pump and makes filling the cooling system exceptionally easy. We did some father/daughter bonding and the Mustang is happily back on the road!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.

Ryan's 1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
Ryan's 1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z

I’ve owned my 1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z here in the UK for nearly 20 years. The previous owner said “It was too nice to modify,” which has to be the best reason ever to buy a car from someone.

I have done nearly all the work on it myself over the years with the help of RockAuto to keep it in top condition. The fact that you guys manage to get parts delivered in the UK so fast is incredibly helpful. Back in the day, my friends and I used to play a game we called “RockAuto Drag Racing” where we would all place orders for parts on the same day and see whose turned up first!

The IROC is a top spec car with the 350 V8 and nearly every option box ticked when it was new, originally being sold in Wisconsin before being exported in the early 2000s. It gets a lot of compliments at shows, events and even the local supermarket which is always nice.

Ryan in the United Kingdom

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Automotive Trivia Answer
Automotive Trivia
Up

What was the first product Permatex developed in 1909?

A. Leather adhesive for automobile roofs

Answer: B. Shellac to bond tires to rims (source: www.permatex.com/...  Permatex shellac is still available at RockAuto: www.rockauto.com/... )

C. Chrome polish

Share Your Hard Work & Stories
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Your Hard Work Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to give you the opportunity to have your car or truck possibly featured in one (or occasionally more) of our publications such as the monthly newsletter, collector magnets or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! For submission instructions and tips for taking pictures of your car, please visit our Photography Tips & Submission Info page.

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Your Most Infamous Auto Repair Blunder Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes. Please email your story to marketing@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto Hat if we publish your story. See the Hats under Tools & Universal Parts in the RockAuto catalog. The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!