Hi. I have a 98 E150 V6 with 190K. The serpentine belt recently broke, I replaced it and That one melted and broke. I examined the pulleys to make sure they were all moving. The crankshaft pulley does not move and the alternator pulley does not move. Must the engine be removed to change the crankshaft??? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

The crank pulley isn't going to move/rotate very easy trying it by hand, even with 190K of wear .. Unless you got forearms like Popeye!! If the alternator didn't 'freely' rotate/spin then you answered your own question as to the cause.. If there were a crank shaft issue that caused the belt to burn, its probably too late.. If the alternator pulley didn't spin as you mensioned, it must have dragged the belt with a very noticeable sound/smell?

 

Your crankshaft/pulley is what drives your belt. If the pulley became detached the belt would not turn and neither would your PS pump/alternator/airconditioning compressor or alternator. The alternator should spin freely without a belt on it. If it don't, it means it's shot. Your lights will go dim and your battery will eventualy go flat. If your crankshaft is gone, your engine may not even run and certainly would not run well if it did. Any engine in a van most likely will have to be removed to access the bottom end.

You are looking at the worse case scenario. It's unlikely a crankshaft problem would be indicated by a burned-out belt. The alternator seems the most probable cause of your problem. Relax