Can I replace the serpentine belt tensioner on my 1998 Ford Explorer?
Ok so a belt tensioner is a fairly easy thing to replace on most all vehicles if you have the right tools. But to be honest from what you described unless the belt broke off its not the tensioner its the alternator. When the diodes in the alternator go bad they screw with everything in the car. Dash lights flicker, stereo goes in and out, and then the car dies as the battery finally goes dead from not getting a charge. If the tensioner needs to be replaced then I would do it too but dont think that will cure the problem completely. To replace the tensioner just take the belt off (make sure you remember how it goes back on) then remove the bolt in the center of it (not the one on the pulley itself, the one on the assembly) once you buy a new one and look at it you will realize just how easy it is to do. Just need a ratchet a socket and it make it a little easier to have a tool called a belt tensioner tool. It makes it easier to take the belt on and off because it is designed to release
