Timing belt loose
 

I did my timing belt a couple monthes back and with all new parts. Then a week later my Hydraulic Tensioner wasn't holding pressure on the timkng belt so I replaced it. So today I looked at my timing belt before I changed my oil and it was lose so I went ahead and changed the oil then started the car up and now the timing belt is tight again so I need help and the tensioner was a advance part not from the dealer. Any help would be great thanks and its on a 03 Evo

I read this 4 times and each time I think I got more confused :crap:

When I was installing a timing belt on my car I had a box wrench on each of the cam sprocket bolts and a 2x4 stuck between them. This was because the cam sprockets, due to valve spring pressure, want to turn toward each other. Without this crazy rig I was having the belt jump at the crank sprocket while I was in the process of setting the tension.

In other words, depending on how the engine stops when shut down, the sprockets may try to turn toward each other and slack the belt between them. If you see this once in awhile when the engine is stopped, this is normal, if all of the time, your tension is wrong.

If ur asking how to set the tension, I made sure all the slack was on the tensioner side and used a spanner wrench that I made to fit in the two holes on the tensioner pulley (there are many ways to do this just not as easy). With the pin in the hydraulic tensioner holding it all the way in, cam the pulley over so the belt is fairly tight. Turn the crank with a wrench for few revolutions then make sure it's still tight if it is pull the pin out of the tensioner and let it sit for a few mins and then try and slide the pin back in if it won't go in at all probably not tight enough and wouldn't hurt to pull tensioner and reset and do over. I set mine were the pin would go back in but wouldn't go all the way through to the other side, so the tensioner shaft had only extended slightly. With the wrench I had it would have probably been easier to get it too tight. Also if u can't get the slack out of the cam gears barneys method will work, I was able to get mine to a spot they were tight without doing that.

You failed to set the tension correctly

Depending on where your motor stops rotating when it shuts off, there might be very little tension on the belt between the cam gears. Sometimes its really tight between the gears. Dont worry about it.

I would have went with an oem tensioner if it were me though, but Im sure its fine.

Don't worry about it until your pistons hit your valves after your belt jumps timing and you're out a few grand...

It's hasn't been loose after that one time

Who?

I also had an new oem tensioner, because whoever owned the car before me had a timing belt put on 5000 miles prior and they didn't replace the tensioner so it had failed.....

03mitsuevo, it's crystal clear that the auto tensioner is operating outside of its normal range and the only reason your belt is not loose now is because the auto tensioner is likely fully extended to its limit

My auto tensioner has the full length to extend, it's there to take up slack as the belt stretches. It's not out of the normal range lol.....

Like a few ppl have said already.. The pin must b able to go back in the tesioner hole freely after u set tension. Also as someone else said depending where the motor stops rotating will determine wether it's tight or not. I just went out looked at mine it was loose.. Cranked it and it's tight but the cams are now sitting where they will not fall towards each other and take a little tension off. As long as you could stick the pin back in the tensioner after u set tension.... Ur good

Exactly what he said.
Pull the covers back of and corectly set the tension so the tensioner is working within its range. The correct procedure can be found in the FSM. Jay racing has some nifty tools for doing this sort of thing.