Cheap fix 09 belt tensioner
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:48 pm
After about 100,000 miles the belt tensioner becomes worn and causing a belt alignment issue. This doesn’t seem to cause any noise that anyone complains of however it can lead to the belt jumping off or jumping just one rib and then water pump pulley shaving that rib off causing the whole belt to jump off . It would be good maintenance to replace the belt assembly at 100k miles with original part no. 17540-54L00 it retails for about $250 but you can get the oem from fitinpart.sg for $72 if you don’t mind the month long wait . The Last FeBest brand tensioner I got turned me off from them but the ones before that were perfect. If you would rather check condition of the tensioner, this is how I recommend. From under the vehicle turn crankshaft counterclockwise while watching belt riding on the tensioner pulley.
If your tensioner assembly has some miles on it you will see it start to walk off the pulley. Turn crankshaft a total of six times if the belt doesn’t jump a groove on the crank pulley then you’re still OK to run. On an oem tensioner that’s in perfect shape the belt will stay squarely on the tensioner pulley. If it’s too badly worn it will climb a rib on the crank pulley before 6 turns.
The cheap tensioners can be used but will most likely have to be fitted for accuracy. You do this by the same test and if it fails you take it back off and file across mating surface at a very slight angle to square up how belt rides.
You can even do this on your existing unit if you can’t get a hold of a new one and your pulley bearing still feels smooth. This is all in an effort to keep your engine from having an over heat situation sneak up on you. When the belt comes off the only warning you get from inside the cockpit is a very small battery light that is very easily missed . That big yellow triangle of death does not light up like it does on your low tire. I wished it did.
Taking the tensioner off , it’s easiest to work from underneath. After you remove the belt , remove tensioner pulley. Now you can remove the two mounting bolts. The top bolt can be either be a 12mm hex or a 6mm Allen if it was involved in a campaign for replacement of the tensioner unit. If yours is a hex , use an offset 12mm
Box wrench from Harbor Freight .
If yours is an Allen, it’s best to cut a one inch long piece off your 6mm Allen wrench and put it into a 1/4 drive 6mm socket and ratchet.
If your tensioner assembly has some miles on it you will see it start to walk off the pulley. Turn crankshaft a total of six times if the belt doesn’t jump a groove on the crank pulley then you’re still OK to run. On an oem tensioner that’s in perfect shape the belt will stay squarely on the tensioner pulley. If it’s too badly worn it will climb a rib on the crank pulley before 6 turns.
The cheap tensioners can be used but will most likely have to be fitted for accuracy. You do this by the same test and if it fails you take it back off and file across mating surface at a very slight angle to square up how belt rides.
You can even do this on your existing unit if you can’t get a hold of a new one and your pulley bearing still feels smooth. This is all in an effort to keep your engine from having an over heat situation sneak up on you. When the belt comes off the only warning you get from inside the cockpit is a very small battery light that is very easily missed . That big yellow triangle of death does not light up like it does on your low tire. I wished it did.
Taking the tensioner off , it’s easiest to work from underneath. After you remove the belt , remove tensioner pulley. Now you can remove the two mounting bolts. The top bolt can be either be a 12mm hex or a 6mm Allen if it was involved in a campaign for replacement of the tensioner unit. If yours is a hex , use an offset 12mm
Box wrench from Harbor Freight .
If yours is an Allen, it’s best to cut a one inch long piece off your 6mm Allen wrench and put it into a 1/4 drive 6mm socket and ratchet.