Is anyone selling a P9201 tensioner? I am interested in buying one.

How many people here adjust their belts with the twist method instead of the P9201 tool? Kinda iffy on risking it.

 

Always twist method...on my car and on the billions of 944's I've worked on over the years.
How do you think they tensioned the belt before they had the tool?

 

me too

 

Theres a tool with the bar I could get for $300 & its practically new. Tempted to grab it just for peace of mind. Always possible to resell it for this price.

When you twist it 90 degrees, how exactly should it feel?

 

There is a lot of leeway here with the 90 twist which is probably why they came up with the tool method.
You should be able to twist the timing belt no more than 90* with all your finger/thumb strength when it is tight enough. But your thumbs may be calibrated differently than mine

 

What is the proper 944 tension in belt-units when measured with a 9201? There's an aftermarket belt tension gauge (the Kempf tool, a copy of the early factory 9131 tool) used on 928s that is calibrated to about 4.5 to 5 belt units- might be useable on 944s? THey're ~$60, new:

http://928srus.com/ under tools.

EDIT: 4.0 +/- 0.3. So the low end of the window on a Kempf tool would be about right, though probably best dialed in against a 9201.

 

Used by the 928 crowd...$59 all day long.

 

I use neither the tool or the twist method... Just the tension-like-a-guitar-string method.

 

Krikit tool or equivalent. Some years ago I called Gates belts in Denver to ask about their version of the Krikit tool. Turns out to be the exact same thing made by the exact same people in the same box, slightly different label.

Consider the wide range of acceptable tension, per factory specs.

With such a wide tension range, why would you need as precise tool as the P9201? It's sorta like making an appointment for sometime between 10am and noon, so a Timex watch or cursory look at the overhead sun will work, but an atomic clock is not really needed.

And, if the Krikit tool or twist method were faulty, surely we'd know about it after several decades of such practice.

 

I never felt the 9201 tool was that accurate and repeatable. However if you never tensioned one before , you should use the tool the first time to get an idea how tight it should be. It might be surprising how loose it is.

How does that 928 tool work? I've never seen that before.

 

If you can borrow the P9201 tool, use it, and then calibrate a Krikit tool off the tensioned belt, for future reference.

 

www.arnnworx.com

http://www.arnnworx.com/catalog/inde...e#.V9CU9I-cGUk

and

http://arnnworx.com/new_tensioning_tool.htm

Cheap and better than the P9201!

OR.........

J_AZ

 

90* twist has never failed me on the 8+ belt jobs I've done.

 

The twist method is clearly good enough for the 944 veterans, and I've verified it using my Arnnworx tool, but it's open to interpretation and hand strength for newbies.

If you've never done the 944 timing and balance belts before, get the Arnnworx tool.

Maybe exact tension isn't critical, but there's lots of threads on belt whine, so getting a repeatable tension is nice.

 

Hand method here, I researched this a-lot before I went to the hand. I remember reading going 90 on the timing belt and being able to turn the water pump pulley by hand with the engine dead cold. It should be fairly hard to turn with a firm grasp, everything needs to be clean and dry and not oily. Also with any belt job you need to check it after the first 100-200 miles, you will be surprised with how loose it becomes even after the first run. I have read of people using the tools and not being happy with the feel of the belt and doing it by hand anyway.