Nate,

I use the nail puller approach. Just remember the aim is to plastically deform the clamp not circumcise it. These clamps seem to pull in with relatively little pressure and you should be able to feel the resistance increase when you get in the right drop zone- just ensure the band is correctly engaged before you clamp or you will crimp and end up with a sloppy wedding ring.

At the end of the day it does not take a whole lot of pressure to seal that end cap. When I rebuilt my tensioner I did not think enough about what I was doing and realised at the last minute that I had not ordered a new clamp. As I needed to get the show on the road when the penny dropped, I used a zip tie at the 11 O'clock position- yes I can hear the experts gasping but fact is there is no UV exposure worth talking about down there and a good zip tie is very robust even in our heat. Were it to fail I can slip another one in [I think]. I do not particularly recommend this band aid approach but the reason in part I used it [other than need] was that as I did my first TB job I found a zip tie in there already [not going to say who put it in there but I am sure I know who did given who did the previous WP/TB job several years earlier] and it was still intact and under tension.

I followed Stan's tips for placement of the rubber duck and the clamp/circlip and the STP but I found that stuff very difficult to get into the tensioner body. However, once in I would be surprised if it can manage to find a fugitive escape path. We saw the other day a thread with the list of tensioner updates - seems you are bang in the middle of that mother load.

Rgds

Fred

 

 

+1
Unless there is some compelling evidence why they are not ideal in this location, I'd stick with the Norma euro style band clamp from Wurth as pictured in the WSM.

 

Can I play please by the numbers.
78 to 82 uses 999 041 030 01 behind the Dust Boot and clearly shown in PET.
83 to 86 16v & 32v shows no clip in the PET illustration and it also not shown in the nomenclature.
87 to 91 shows no clip in the PET illustration but N 012 277 1 is listed in the nomenclature with no definition as to where is is used.
92 to 95 shows no clip in the PET illustration but 999 041 030 01 is listed in the nomenclature with no definition as to where it is used.

 

Nate, looks like your in the home stretch on your project...will we see you at XXX in Issaquah on Sunday??

 

Actually that clamp is not missing. It came with the boot from Roger as shown in the first picture I posted. Although I do like the normal style clamps, not so much because they are reusable, but because they are easier to adjust and don't require special tooling. But then again, I love new-to-me tools and the crimp clamp help me scratch that itch.

 

Thanks Fred. I will be using nippers to crimp this and will be careful not to go past plastic deformation.

As for the STP or other oils, I guess I am unclear on why you wouldn't just use regular motor oil here. Well at least in my application. The '84 tensioner isn't a closed system. There are two holes on the back side (block facing side) that allow (I assume) engine oil from the block to flow in and out of the tensioner. So any non engine oil I add now will be quickly flushed into the engine lubrication system within a few minutes of starting the engine I would think. The later S4 style tensioners have a grease nipple and bleed screw. I assume because these are closed systems (again an assumption) that can be serviced without removal. And if they are a truly closed system with respect to lubrication, its interesting because they still use a gasket or Loctite on the block mating surface. Again I assume this is because there is still an oil journal cast into the block behind the tensioner on the 5L enignes?

 

That's the goal. My son turns 3 this Saturday and we are having a party at the house. So I have a large honey-do list to integrate in. My guess is that I'll be up real late Saturday night.

 

The original clamp (with screw) is NLA and supersedes to the new crimp clamp.

 

Wurth doesn't make that style clamp that size anymore? That's disappointing news.

 

Nate,

The S4 tensioner has a fill connection nipple and an overflow to indicate the oil level is correct. The gasket is there to ensure the oil cannot escape from the joint face. There is no pressure and the oil is used to carry heat to cause the piston to expand a tad as the system heats up and thus help correct for growth between the crank centreline and the cam centreline. I find it strange that your model year would take oil from the central lubrication system and stick it into a cavity that looks vulnerable to pressure. I have no knowledge of your tensioner and quite happy to accept your word for it but it does seem strange to me. The STP being more like treacle is less prone to leakage.

 

The early 1977 spare parts catalog lists 999 512 216 02 as the original clamp, which supercedes to 999 512 221 02 in the 1980 spare parts catalog, which superceded to 999 512 322 02, listed as a 44/9 Norma clamp.

A 43 or a 44 would work if you can find one.

 

 

Thanks for the clarification Sean. Just got home and looked at the block. No holes just cavities. Its all starting to make sense now. WSM just says fill tensioner 1/3 full with lubricant. How critical is that measurement? My tensioner just has the screw plugs for the fill and the overflow port. Is it necessary to remove those after it's installed on the block an somehow fill it up until it weeps out the overflow port?