The serpentine belt on my ra broke this morning. I've gotten a new belt, and think it is wound correctly. The issue is, how do I loosen the tensioner?

 

What year is your RA? The early ones use a standard automatic tensioner you can move with a ratchet. The newer ones are supposed to come with stretch-fit type belts, similar to VW that you need a special wedge to get the belt on and off.

I never bothered to check to see when and if they actually incorporated that design since I've got an 09 with the standard tensioner, sorry.

 

I hope it's not the stretch type belt, for your sake. That thing was a PITA to replace on my subie

 

Figured it out. Thought I was doing something wrong as the belt kept coming off. Took the plastic idler pulleys off to inspect, and they have been ground down in the middle. Went to Hyundai dealership and have ordered two new ones made of steel. They were cheaper than the plastic Mitsu replacements as well.

 

How many miles are on your car?

 

36,000

 

Do you have the part numbers of the parts you ordered? this may be a good DIY fix if it all works out for you. cheaper + more durable

 

Hyundai part number is 25287-2C000. You will need 2 of these. The tensioner pully is the same diameter but I didn't fool with it, as I was unsure if the left hand thread counterpart was similar enough for the swap.
Here is a link with pics that looked like my pulleys. Inside the thread, there is another link to a motoiq article on this issue:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...gine-part.html

 

Finding out my valve cover was plastic last week, and now seeing these threads about plastic pullies makes me feel a little ripped off . should feel ashamed for trying to save a buck in such an important part of the car. I really hope they issue a recall on this part as it seems to be happening to more and more RA / EVO's in there 2nd/3rd year.

 

Valve cover I wouldn't be too worried about it. Biggest drawback of that is you can't powdercoat plastic

This pulley issue does suck if you have it happen to you, but you have to consider that the entire lancer platform is running them and even though it seems as though more issues are popping up in the high-performance sector, the majority of lancers are running daily on the streets without any issues.

 

I hunt snakes/gators on logging roads, beach fronts, and back roads. Quick turning, braking, and reverse in sandy, dusty, or sea-spray environments.

I imagine the silica sand eats the plastic pulleys, at least for me.

 

That's the thing that I can't understand. Evo's and the whole Ralliart brand derived from Mitsubishi's attempts at Rally Racing.
Obviously nature and the elements are the main obsticles in Rally Racing so why put plastic pullies on your "Rally inspired" lineup of cars..

At least Hyundia is trying to reinvent them selves as adependable car company using higher quality parts we can use

 

Mitsu has had a rough time as a whole car company. They cheapened up on the pulley's but they are like 15 bucks for a tensioner pully. I can imagine that a plastic pulley was fine for stock riding.. You want performance you up the anti on your car. Your going to have to replace those types of parts all the time.

Upgrade and move on... Let's keep it in perspective. The AWD in our cars is spectacular never been in another more impressive car for any condition. It sucks but go spend 20 bucks when it breaks by the Hyundai pulleys and keep driving better than any Hyundai around