Tensioner Pulley Replacement

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tjdean01
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 2:41 pm

Tensioner Pulley Replacement

Post by tjdean01 »

I'm having a grinding noise and after pulling off the serpentine belt I realize that the tensioner pulley is the culprit.

I've seen a video where the guy simply removes the pulley itself without having to remove the motor mount and jack up the motor, etc., to get at the bolt (video here, nice how-to here). But, my pulley is like the first pic below and doesn't have a nut to remove it. There's no other way to get this off is there?

I'm probably going to have to the jack-the-engine up method and buy a 17mm wrench, aren't I? Also, why does everyone say change the serpentine belt while I'm at it. Something to do with the tension strut's pressure? My belt is fine and a 10 minute job when the time comes so I don't understand this recommendation.

Unfortunately, my pulled looks like the first picture below, as opposed to the second:
No bolt
No bolt
Old.JPG (34.58 KiB) Viewed 763 times
Has bolt to remove
Has bolt to remove
New.JPG (21.93 KiB) Viewed 763 times

jkljlk
2008 base 1.8L 285k
Bookworm
Posts: 764
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: Tensioner Pulley Replacement

Post by Bookworm »

If it's a relatively new belt, you don't have to replace it. If it has 10,000 miles or more on it, then it makes sense to put a new (not expensive) belt on it, rather than risk a worn belt being damaged by increased pressure from a new tensioner.
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: Tensioner Pulley Replacement

Post by zbyers »

You will have to unbolt the engine mount and jack up the engine to remove the tensioner assembly. There is no way around it. The bolt that holds the tensioner assembly to the block is insanely long and will not clear the unibody/frame rail.

Like Bookworm mentioned, if the belt is relatively new, I wouldn't worry about replacing it. If you've never done it, you might as well. You're already taking it off, so you might as well replace it. Preventative is better than reactive maintenance.
'74 Thing, '79 El Camino, '83 VW DoKa '91 Vanagon, '03 Base, 04 GT
'06 CRV, '06 AWD, '07 Base, '12 Highlander Limited, '17 Frontier CCLB

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