T belt help

[beantowntsi]

I wanted to see if someone could help me.I called Miller tools for the ten.pulley tool.They told me they don't have that tool anymore.I have the belt on the car and it runs but the auto ten.rod is not in the spec range(belts too tight)and I don't feel safe.So I just wanted to see if someone had an answer for me.I don't know if there is a trick I could use.Or do I just keep going till I get it.

 

[sumenlo]

If you don't have your tensioner adjusted properly, you really shouldn't be driving your car. You're basically asking to slip timing. They also don't sell the proper tool anymore to adjust the tensioner. You either have to know someone who has one, or take your car to the dealer or an auto shop and have them do it for you. I would make this a priority right now. If you slip timing, you're gonna have way more problems than a mis-adjusted timing belt.

 

[Pure92TSi]

You can manually adjust that pulley. Just loosen the bolt that is in the middle, turn it with ## hand towards the front of the car. Also the belt will stretch out some if it is new and come into spec. I wouldn't really worry about it.

Edit: Your not goin to jump timing if your belt is too tight so don't worry about that.

 

[Catbox_95]

I posted this a long time ago and it turned out to be very helpful. I found it and copied it for you. You don't need any special tools. Here ya go:

Remove the timing belt auto-tensioner.

Loosen the center bolt that hold on the pulley that the auto-tensioner presses against.

To reinstall, make sure the engine is at TDC. Install the cams and align the cam markings.

Install the belt on the cam pulleys first, then clamp (or zip tie) the belt on the cam pulleys so they don't fall off while you go under the car.

Run the belt around the rear pulley, then around the rear balance shaft/oil pump. Make sure you line up the arrow on this pulley with the mark on the block.

Then run the belt around the crank pulley, again, make sure you have the arrow lined up with the mark on the block.

Next run the belt around the auto-tensioner pulley.

Now pay close attention to this belt-tensioning technique:

Put the auto-tensioner in a vice and SLOWLY clamp the shaft down until the hole in the shaft lines up with the hole in the casing. Stick a small rod, like a small allen wrench or something, through the holes.

Bolt the auto-tensioner back on to the block with this rod you stuck through it.

LEAVE THE ROD IN IT FOR NOW!

Take some kind of pry-bar and wedge it against the auto-tensioner pulley (do this from the top of the engine) and pry the pulley against the belt until the belt is tight.

When the belt is tight, tighten the center bolt of the pulley.

Now, check that rod you stuck through the auto-tensioner. If it is loose, then so far you have done things right. If it is tight and even slightly hard to pull out, try loosening the center bolt and grab that pry-bar and try to put more tension on the belt.

Keep doing this until the rod in the auto-tensioner is loose.

When it is loose, pull it out. Make sure ALL of the pulley marks are still aligned. Check the cams, the balance shaft, and the crank to be at TDC. If they are all still lined up, spin the motor over a few turns, then let it just sit there for about 15 minutes.

After you have let it sit there, take that rod and try to stick it back through the holes in the auto-tensioner. If it goes through, CONGRATULATIONS! You're done. Pull the rod back out, you were just using it to test it. If it won't go through, you need to pull the auto-tensioner off, compress it, stick the rod in it, and repeat the steps mentioned above.

It's a lot of steps, I know, but it really isn't hard. It takes like, 10 minutes, plus the 15 you have to wait. It all worked on the first try for me, rod went right back in and all.

 

[Doug99RS]

They also don't sell the proper tool anymore to adjust the tensioner. You either have to know someone who has one, or take your car to the dealer or an auto shop and have them do it for you.

There are several places that still offer this tool. Snap-on, Cornwell, or any other high end tool distributor still sells them. Also, there is another member who just ordered the tool through napa a few months ago so there's another venue to try out. But you're right in saying that driving around with a belt that is not properly tensioned is asking for trouble. Thanks for you help.
Doug