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.
