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tensioner pulley - Victory!! That was easy!! (except the hours spent figuring it out.)

DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
96 merc sable

I replaced the idler pulley which was shot (serpentine belt came off as a result.)

My tensioner pulley looks pretty much the same as this:
this one here, except upside down.

The only instructions I can find anywhere are "find the appropriate sized socket... counter clockwise..." Okay, a socket won't fit. So, I got a new set of metric wrenches. 15mm - I already knew that. But, turning the nut on the pulley seems as if I'm just going to remove the pulley, not relieve tension. I turned the nut 1/4 turn and the pulley didn't go anywhere.

Am I on the right track?
---

Finally figured it out... turned it clockwise using a good wrench (not enough room for a socket) and a tire iron for extra torque on the wrench. It wasn't hard to turn, went click, turned a bit more, and the belt slid easily on. Car started right up and the tensioner did its thing. I bought a replacement belt, but I'm going to keep it in the trunk, along with tools, just in case there's a next time.
 
You have to turn as if you were screwing it in, not unscrewing. That releases the mechanism and allows you to slide the pulley under the belt.
At least on beamers (and the pulley lever looks exactly the same)
 
Originally posted by: Antisocial Virge
Your turning the wrong nut probably. Your turning the nut on the pulley and not the arm itself.
Click to expand...

I don't see another nut!
 
Hey, Paulney, thanks! I found another site that says "clockwise"... looks like I'll go in the other direction.. This is going to be a pita simple project.
 
It is a lot easier with a serpentine belt tool. If I remember on this car, you just put a wrench on the nut with the wheel where the belt runs on, and push it to the release position. The whole wheel will move, not the nut. It does take a lot of force to do it so a small wrench might not give you enough power. You can rent this tool from autozone. (I could be completely wrong, taking a guess looking at stock photos of the part)
 
Reverse the procedure to install. If may be a little difficult to get to all the parts on some newer v6 engines, but it is definitely doable. It may just take a little while to accomplish. So, pick a day when its warm and you have plenty of time.
Click to expand...

From one of the online guides... Woohoo! it's now up to 16 degrees F outside. What do they want me to do? Wait until Easter??
 
On my '95 ford escort the the tensioner pully had a 3/8 square hole near the top, you
didn't need a socket, just the ratchet end itself fit perfectly..
 
Originally posted by: BUTCH1
On my '95 ford escort the the tensioner pully had a 3/8 square hole near the top, you
didn't need a socket, just the ratchet end itself fit perfectly..
Click to expand...


Same with my Trans Am. Although, I do seem to remember on my old '92 Mustang that the tensioner pulley was a similar setup as the OP is describing...I got a breaker bar with the appropriate sized socket on it, and pushed it forward (clockwise) like a lever. The pulley just bent down so the belt could be slipped on. Concentrating on the bolt itself (like with an impact wrench, for example) is the WRONG way to do it - you may snap the bolt.
 
Oh yeah, and watch for fingers. I was careful at first, but then as the work progressed, I became a little less cautious, and didn't insert the socket all the way in. Well, as soon as I pushed on the lever with one hand, and tried to slip the belt on with another, the socket slipped out and went flying in one direction, while the tensioner sprung back and almost caught my finger between the pulley and the belt.
 
Originally posted by: paulney
Oh yeah, and watch for fingers. I was careful at first, but then as the work progressed, I became a little less cautious, and didn't insert the socket all the way in. Well, as soon as I pushed on the lever with one hand, and tried to slip the belt on with another, the socket slipped out and went flying in one direction, while the tensioner sprung back and almost caught my finger between the pulley and the belt.
Click to expand...

Very true...deep sockets are not recommended for this job. 😛 Find a standard sized one - less potential for carnage that way.
 
Woohoo! That was easy! Spare belt, wrench, and tire iron that helped with leverage on the wrench are all now in the trunk, just in case there's a next time. 🙂
 
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