...anybody who's done this, anything I need to do before I just start takin out bolts. Rightnow I got the timing belt cover off (lower and upper) and have the tensioner exposed. I can't release tension on the belt becuase the reason I'm doin this is becasue the tensioner tool snapped off in the bolt hole...

Do I need to compress this thing before I take the bolts holdin it to the block off? Or I can I just take the bolts off? If it needs to be compressed, how can I do this with out the usual tensioner tool method?

Thanks...

 

loosen the bolt on the ecentric pulley beside it. thats the pulley that puts the real tension on the belt. just loosen it dont remove it.

 

ohh, before you do that
see if you can slide a small pin in the tensioner. that will hold the tensioner from going up. if you can't, then use a vise to slowly, i mean super slowly compress the tensioner back. then use a pin to hold the tensioner in.

 

yes, you can remove the tensioner itself. It will only extend another 1/8 to 1/4 inch but it is not an issue and you should be able to get it out. If you do not have the pulley tensioner tool I would recommend you not loosen the pulley. Just remove the tensioner itself and put it in a vise and SLOWLY recompress it until you can put a pin in through it. IT needs to be stong like and allen wrench, a paper clip will not cut it.

 

i already tried to do that the first time. it didn't work out that great. there was way too much stress on the 2 tensioner bolts, and it come out wrong
by loosening the pulley, you will releve the stress on the belt, allowing slack on the tensioner.

 

I can see that. We don't know the state of the broken tool, whether it is relieving the belt tension or not.

If he is loosening that pulley he really should use the tool to reset it when he reassembles the belt. Mitsu is very specific about the preload on the belt, etc because that tensioner has a limited ability to actually adjust belt tension properly.

 

the tool is broke off inside the side motor mount, which is what I'm afriad I may have to take off if I can't get the broken piece of teh tool out from the bottom. The tool is exposed about 1/2" out of the underside o the motor mount, but not puttin tension on the pulley. I was doin a cam install and was finished, as I started backing the tool off, it then snapped...but the belt is tight and no pressure is being put on the auto tnesioner...but since the tool is broke off in there, there is no way for me to relieve tension using that method...

 

It's been awhile but can't you unbolt the mount itself from the block without disturbing the belt or is the tensioner pulley assembly bolted to it?

 

ya 3 bolts and a nut

 

actually to get that mount off there's alot that has to come off, I'm lookin at it right now and it's not gonna be fun, that's why I want to take the tensioner assembly off to get better access to the exposed part of teh tool that broke, maybe try and pull out from the bottom...

BTW, it LOOKs like alot more than 3 bolts...part of it is behind the power steering pump, so that has to come off, not to mention a few other hard to reach bolts...I don't know...I really hope I can get this thing out with pullin the mount off...

I wish I had a digital camera...

 

well just to let you know, i have driven the car for exactly 4k miles and the belt is still tight. didn't use any special tools.
i just used needle nose pliers to put tension on the belt.

 

needle nose pliers?