Timing belt tension tool
 

There appear to be several tools available for tightening the belt to the correct level. I would appreciate any recomendations.

I would consider either a factory 9201 tensioning tool or a Kempf tool, which is an aftermarket version of the 9131 factory tool. Or you could replace the factory detensioner with a Porkensioner and not worry about belt tension for 60,000 mile intervals. Lots of discussion about pros and cons of the tensioning tools in the archives. The 9201 is more precise than a Kempf tool but is expensive and has a bit of a learning curve to use it reproducibly. Hard to beat a Kempf tool for the money.

What Rob said. I have used the kempf tool without issue for quite some time.

I would recommend the Porkensioner, no adjusting tension, boots, washers, no gaskets, no oil, no seepage, no warning light (some would rather have the light and the headaches of the tensioner). YMMV.
Kempf, comes with instructions, no learning curve. Was about $60??, vs. hundreds for the 9201.

Yeah, I'm one of the some. It saved my bacon in a big way when the water pump siezed up on the highway. With the Porkentensiner, at a minimum, it would be a bunch of bent valves.

Perhaps the pump would not have seized at all with a porkensioner, dont forget waterpump bearings can seize from over tensioning the timing belt...

If the coolant temp/light and [ ! ] wasn't noticed, then BELT TEN. wouldn't do much good, either. :o

... Or no bent valves with Ed's pump! :D

We stock the kempf tool for $58.95

I have the Kempf tool, the belt was never over tightenned. Nice try. The pump was very old, nothing more.

Yup and what people do in that case? I would guess that vast majority would caost to the side of the road with the engine running. At highway speeds, that is just about enough time for the belt to snap.

Here is my first hand experience:
My belt light came on way before the temp gauge went into the red and triggered the "!". After a reset it came on agian and a few second later the the temp gauge warning too. We are talking aobut at least 3min before the temp gauge went into the red. The timing belt warning system is for the belt, the temperature warning is for the coolant and is only a secondary warning system if you are monitoring the timing belt. It warns of a problem way after the belt has already started melting.

Stock tensioner the Kemf tool works well.

the decision to migrate to the Porkensioner is a personal one but 100s if not 1000s have with zero issues..........YMMV :)

I'm on my third timing belt and also my third water pump. The timing belt has never been properly tightened with a "tool" and that is the reason for my question. Still, the engine runs fine and I'm just getting tired of the belt tension light being on.

Things break, both new and old, modern stuff, old stuff, just fix what ever happens, do the best PM you can and live with what the results are.

I personally inspect my timing belt, a full covers off inspection which includes hand spinning the WP and idlers every 15,000 miles, and replace the belt every 30,000.

A sudden belt or bearing failure can happen to me just about as fast as it can to folks that never look at theirs and go 50,000 would be my guess.

I bet your gears are toast if you have never tensioned the belt correctly.