Cheap fix 09 belt tensioner

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KIZAWDinKC
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:53 am

My belt tensioner has been making the rattling sound (car in gear or AC on) for at least a couple years now. The entire belt and pully assemblies all visually seem to be rotating nice and smoothly. But a couple years ago I was able get the wheel and well-panel off to narrow in on the noise and I determined it was the tensioner. That's when I found out later there was a recall for that part. I remember my 2010 Kizashi getting some kind of warranty work when it was new, but I didn't see the allen-screw that would have been part of that. So I don't think it got replaced.

But anyways I ordered the $200 OEM tensioner thinking I could replicate the service bulletin instruction to replace the tensioner. I failed. One of the bolts does sit behind the water pump pulley. So from the top of the engine, I could barely get a small 12mm wrench on it. I had NO leverage and just ended up slipping the wrench off because either I couldn't get it pulled over the bolt or the bolt was stripping/rounding. The bolt was probably seized-up as well anyhow. So I gave up on it and just ended up swapping the pulley wheel off the new tensioner with the old one thinking that maybe that could be the culprit anyhow. It didn't help. :x

So fast forward a couple years later, I saw where "Old_tech" in this thread recommended a box wrench and to get to it from the bottom. I got excited because I thought this could definitely work. I went to Harbor Freight yesterday and picked up a 8pc box wrench set. Got the Kizashi jack-up, wheel off, wheel well panel off. I eased the tensioner to slip off the belt and then removed the tensioner pulley thereafter. The box wrench did seem to get on the bolt, but not perfectly. It's still a little too tight of an area. But I was able to get the 12mm box wrench onto the bolt only to have the it slip right off due to the bolt being partially rounded-off. So I gave up after numerous tries for like an hour and even tried the same box wrench from the top of the engine. No luck.

I determined that the only way to really get to the bolt would be to remove the water pump and then get a 12mm socket & wrench over it for a better grip. You cannot get a socket in there without the water pump removed. But to remove the water pump is a painful job that would be best on a car-lift as well. Too much work and effort for me. I put everything back together and put the $200 new tensioner back on the shelf in my garage. Bummer. I wish they would have designed the engine with the the water pump and tensioner in the FRONT.

108,000 mile Kizashi that I bought brand new, had for 10 years. It's just a daily beater I drive to work. My fear is the tensioner will eventually fail, but it seems to keep running and with the rattle. It just keeps running.
Last edited by KIZAWDinKC on Fri May 14, 2021 1:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
old tech
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Location: n/w pennsysvania

If this top bolt head has been compromised , my plan would be to take the crank pulley off (with key way facing up), take the lower bolt out and put the wrench on the top bolt , pull gently while at the same time prying the tensioner by the lower portion and the top bolt will turn. Then try to hold that bolt in its position with the wrench and now pry the tensioner tight hopefully keeping the bolt from turning with it and then repeat. A quarter inch drive 12 mm socket will fit in here but you might even want to shave that socket down to make it work nice and you would have to have a special short wobble extension and a long ratchet along with this. I have never had to remove a pump yet but it is tight. Also this wrench from Harbor Freight has always worked for me even with the crank pulley in place . Is it the same set number?


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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

I haven't replaced my belt yet but bought new idler pulleys for when I do. I'll check the tensioner then. Any known issues with the idler pulleys? I haven't heard of any but I figured they were cheap enough to replace along with the belt. I got idler pulleys made by Continental.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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KIZAWDinKC
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:53 am

I actually tried that method of prying the tensioner back and forth with the lower bolt removed. Although the tensioner itself moved, the top bolt did NOT move with it. That top bolt is seized and somewhat rounded off. The Harbor Freight box wrench set is identical to the ones you have in the photo. The box wrench will barely get over the bolt, but just doesn't grab it tight enough or the bolt is just too seized in my situation that the wrench slips off it or rounds off of it.

But that is a good idea to shave down a socket to fit in that space. That might be another option.

However, it's just the rattling noise I hear that has prompted me to want to replace the tensioner. So now I'm thinking that maybe it's just the belt that needs changing afterall. I'm thinking that the belt might be slightly too long or stretched enough that the tensioner is tapping against its stop which is what is creating the rattling noise. The tensioner is strong and solid when using an extended socket wrench to turn it so I can relieve tension from the belt. So the tensioner might still be in good shape. I might just replace the belt just to see if maybe that does anything.
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KIZAWDinKC
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:53 am

Well it looks like I ended up solving the "rattling tensioner" issue. After all that hassle of wasting $200 on an OEM tensioner that I ended up NOT being able to get on, and a year gone by, I changed the belt and it worked. I had the original belt changed previously when I took the car in a few years ago to change the water pump. It's possible the belt they put on was either slightly too long or just wore out enough after a few years that it allowed the tensioner to rattle. That's why I never really suspected the belt because what I had on was only a few years old and still looked good.

I thought while I had the hood popped, might as well check fluid levels after changing the belt and getting the wheel back on. Of course dummy me did something stupid and spilt some oil off to the side where the pulleys/belt are while trying add some oil to the engine that I changed a few weeks ago to get the level perfect. I was too lazy to use the funnel. Had to wipe some droplets of oil off the new belt and try to clean up the area around the water pump hoping i didn't get oil anywhere else. It should be fine. Just bugs me that i do something like that right after going through the trouble to put a new belt on.

Anyhow, drove it around for a while this afternoon. Pulled it back in the garage with the AC running also, rolled down the window.......no tensioner rattle!! So far so good. We'll see how it goes and I guess I'll keep on driving the old Kizashi. I bought it new 10 years ago, so now it's just a free beater car for me to drive around until it stops running :drive:
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

I finally changed my belt tensioner and first want to thank Old Tech for the invaluable advice he shared about the process. I'm glad that I read it and got the Harbor Freight offset wrenches before starting the repair. They proved to be the perfect tool for accessing the upper bolt of the tensioner without removing the water pump, as the Service Manual dictates. I didn't take too many photos and won't provide a detailed write-up given Old Tech and Saeed have covered the process rather well in their posts on the matter. However, I will offer some comments that could help:

Much like the radiator cap, the belt tensioner is really something that should be replaced on any Kizashi shortly after 100K miles. These things just wear out and, per Old Tech, are killing Kizashis that overheat as a result of these parts failing. While the tensioner was recalled for the first year models, I think all tensioners should be replaced as they age, just like the belt itself.

Also, since July or so, I noticed an odd sound coming from the engine in my Kizashi. It was faint at first but got louder. It was an odd shuffling-like sound that was likely a bearing wearing out on one of the pulleys of the serpentine/drive belt. It's easy to ignore or not notice but I often drive with my windows down and listen to the engine at times. It was very noticeable when backing up after parking next to another car (that bounces back the sound). I inspected the belt and it was in good condition as I replaced it less than two years ago but I noticed that the inside top appeared to be wearing a bit more than the rest. The smooth pulleys also had some sort of build-up; likely grime from when my valve cover leaked oil. Given the noise and the tensioner and idler pulleys being original, I ordered new OEM parts from Megazip. My last post on here mentioned Continental idler pulleys I ordered from Rockauto.com but they did not actually fit the Kizashi at all. Hence, I got the OE tensioner and the OE idler pulleys from Megazip.

IMG_4382.jpeg

Once I accessed the tensioner, I tried Old Tech's advice of checking the tensioner by rotating the crank pulley counter-clockwise several times to check the tensioner's proper function. I then watched as the belt started to come off of the pulley on the tensioner a bit. At almost 130K miles, not surprised that the tensioner was in need of replacement.

I then set to replace the tensioner and the two idler pulleys. Accessing the idler pulleys isn't hard if you have a standard box wrench. However, taking the tensioner off requires the offset wrenches. As Old Tech advised, the offset wrenches from Harbor Freight (Item 32042) are ideal in angle and size to access the top bolt of the tensioner, which is near the water pump. If you remove the pulley off of the tensioner, you can access this bolt with the offset wrench. The lower bolt is very accessible and easy to remove. Once the bolts are off, you can wiggle the tensioner off. Keep in mind you need the pulley off of the tensioner to also remove the tensioner itself off due to low clearance however, you really don't need to remove the water pump at all.

IMG_4384.jpeg

Similarly, you need to remove the pulley from the new tensioner first to fit the tensioner onto the engine. This is because you need to angle the tensioner in ways to fit onto the engine and then install the top bolt.

The hardest part of the repair for me was getting the belt back on, likely because I didn't employ a good technique. I forgot from last time that it's best to not try put the belt on squarely in one go but to get it on partially and then pull back the tensioner again to adjust the belt on the pulleys perfectly. Having an ideal wrench of the proper length for leverage would make it easier but the HF wrench did the trick after I improved my technique.

I started the engine to check the installation before putting the panel and wheel back on to make sure. The engine started fine and the noise I've been hearing since July was immediately gone. It was one of the pulleys I replaced; perhaps the tensioner pulley itself. Oddly enough, the engine did not turn off normally. Perhaps it was because the front wheels were both off of the ground and rotating slowly in 1st gear. I managed to turn it off, likely after putting it in Neutral. I've since test driven the car and it's solid. The engine sounds normal and I now have much more confidence in driving the Kizashi without worrying about the tensioner failing and causing potential catastrophic engine damage.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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makanaky
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Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2023 11:06 pm

Great post. Thank you


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