[alialfa]

Hello to all,

From what I've seen on this forum, the tensioner bolt is a pain to remove because it's right up against a frame rail. However, I've seen posts suggesting that a special low profile tool would solve this (ratcheting serpentine belt tool).
Unfortunately, $40 later and mutliple swear words, not even the low profile socket from the set on its own would fit. I'm not sure if my frame was bent from a previous collision or what the deal is, but it's too tight.

I've seen others say you could lower the tensioner side of the engine to access this bolt. Does anyone have a guide on how to do that? Any suggestions on how to remove this stubborn bolt is appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Ali

 

[200_S_AWD]

Welcome to the forum. The motor mounts are rubber & allow some side-to-side movement. Find a sturdy point against the right frame rail to pry against without damaging anything. You may be able to move it over about 6mm (1/4")?
If you have a floor jack & block of wood to protect the aluminum pan, you can undo the right mount & lower that side of the engine. Is this the V6?
Is the frame rail bent? The removal instructions don't mention a need to drop the engine.

 

[alialfa]

Good day, Yes it's the V6 model, I do know this vehicle was involved in a collision of some sorts (body lines up front are wonky), so it's possible it's slightly bent, but I highly doubt it. Those instructions are pivotal to the fix, thanks for including them. I'm going to try to pry first as you mentioned. If that doesn't work I'll loosen the mount to engine bolts. From the image under step 12, I would think that if I loosen bolts "2" and "3", the engine should drop slightly. I'll report back with any news.

 

[alialfa]

Progress has been made, tensioner is out along with the belt. In my case, it was necessary to lower the belt side of the engine to get access to the 16mm bolt holding the tensioner on. Here's how I did it.

1. Jack up the car and support it with jack stands from the subframe.
2. Take some tension of the engine mount by jacking up the engine slightly using a piece of wood against the oil pan.
3. Remove the air box and the accordion tubing that goes rearwards.
4. There are 3, 18mm bolts that I referenced in the above post, loosen them or in my case, remove them and gently lower the engine until you can access the tensioner bolt. Keep in mind the high pressure fuel line that passes just over these bolts, I managed to remove the bolts without disturbing it too much, if you're unsure, its best to disconnect it.

Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly. I had to stop because I need new idlers pulleys. Thankfully, the pulley bolts aren't recessed so they can be easily removed with a wrench.

*If anyone has the torque specs for the engine mount bolts + pulleys, it would be greatly appreciated.


Best of luck,

Ali

 

[200_S_AWD]

See attached for bolt torques. There was a TSB for cold tensioner noise: