2002 Mercury Cougar Tensioner

I have to be honest, I looked through every belt diagram and can not see how this could work. Have you checked to see if you can get a compressor bypass pulley for this? They are hard to find, but it is just a pulley that takes the place of the compressor.

Has your compressor locked up?

https://www.2carpros.com/diagrams/mercury/cougar/2002

Yes , compressor is locked up , won't turn by hand with the belt off , it don't turn with belt on either ..can the pulley be removed and the bypass pulley be installed without removing the whole thing ? If I send it to a shop to do work how much should I be excepting to pay ? To bypass the A/C ?

Here is the part you need.

Mercury Cougar A/C Compressor By Pass Pulley Dorman

The part is 34.00 dollars. I can't imagine labor would be more than an hour.

Let me know if this helps. Also, contact your mechanic and tell him you are going to purchase a bypass pulley and you need him to install it.

By doing it this way, you can use the correct belt and it will eliminate your problem. It just takes the place of the compressor.