joshb217

I need to change my drive belt tensioner because it isn't doing its job anymore and it's also making a ton of noise. When I try to release tension the bolt just turns. I tried like crazy to tighten the 15mm bolt on the back but just can't get it any tighter. I ordered a new one and my plan was to cut the old belt off and replace the pulley and the belt. After looking at the replacement tensioner pulley who's to say I can even get it tight enough to release tension since I can't get the old one tight enough? I'm not finding any DIY information on the web for this really to gain the confidence to swap it out. Should I cut the belt off in my garage and give it a go or just take it to the shop? They want 300 to replace the tensioner and another idler pulley. Also does the replacement require removing the power steering pump? Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

ejdoherty911

$300 to replace the tensioner is fair. I paid a lot more than that at the dealer. I think the part alone was like $550 plus the labor.

Device2

Well you could get a new "Mubea" OEM part, before Porsche stamps their brand name on it and then charges you $114. So, belt tensioner (Mubea) for about $69 & a new Pulley Roller for $66, two new dust boots for $10 and a new drive belt for $25-$36.

Now the labor involved in removing and replacing the tensioner, having had done the job myself already I would honestly have pay $300 and have someone else do it. The space it tight, but then again so is just about everything on this engine. You have to be careful with the oil filler tube the plastic cooling water line connector that is bolted in front and then removing the pulley on the Power steering pump and remove the whole arch supporting bracket to have space to swap out the tensioner. There is one bolt next to the AC compressor that holds the arch down that is a PIA. Now the tensioner is held in place by two bolts and One Allen hex fastener on the arm. Also to answer the bolt (15mm) dilemma you tried to tighten. That particular bolt has tread locker on it and there is a 22MM on the other outside part of the pulley if I'm not mistake that locks the whole assembly to the arm. If that whole thing bolt and receiving nut just spin then try an open end wrench to grab the arm if possible and turn it to release tension and be able to then remove the belt. Its not hard just tedious to do if you are inclined to do the task yourself, and you are correct there is not many DIYs on the matter.

sfv_rider

My alternator failed, and I had to replace it.

When removing the accessory belt on my '02 C2, the bolt on the tensioner turned when I was trying to loosen the tensioner. Had I tightened the nut on the backside, it would have not turned, and I would have been able to rotate the tensioner to the left. I tightened the bolt / nut after removing the belt.

I used a prybar between the tensioner and the PS pump pulley, which allowed me to move the tensioner to the left and to remove the belt. It did nick up the grooves on the pump pulley, so I had to source a used one on eBay for $20 to replace the pulley I damaged.

joshb217

I ended up buying the tensioner, other 2 idlers and belt and was just about to do it yesterday and said meh... I called the shop today and set a date next week to have the 3 installed for $350. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about doing it. I even have a bad feeling about them doing it.

joshb217

So I just had them installed and am now sitting 15 miles down the road on the side of the highway waiting for a tow truck. Turns out the tensioner pulley jammed up and completely melted the pulley part from the middle bearing which caused the belt to fall off. Anyone hear of this happening? Maybe I should've listened to gut from my comment above ^

riddler777

my cars failing tensioner snapped one of the roller of the engine block twice a first I thought that the bolt somehow failed, replaced it with a stud and bolt fixation glue

had to remove the engine to drill out the snapped stud

so it is better to just change it than to go the painful route

rhkwon

I'm swapping out my tensioner pulley and now notice the lever goes up and down about 1/2 inch when light pressure is applied by hand. Is this normal? I'm not talking about putting on a socket to release the tension kind of movement where the lever moves all the way several inches. It goes up and down several degrees or about a 1/2 inch. Maybe the tensioner itself or lever is loose or worn out?

DBJoe996

I would say not normal and your tensioner is worn out. I have changed my serpentine belt a couple of times and I never noticed any play in the tensioner arm.

rhkwon

Thanks DBJoe. That’s what I thought. I’ve ordered a new tensioner and lever. Thanks for all your help as usual.

bpoteat

That's nuts man. Sorry to hear about that. Did you get it all sorted out?

FWIW, I did a couple of rollers and was going to do them all & the tensioner and belt. The Sebro branded ones and the belt were great, swapped out no problem. They looked, felt, and spun just like the OEM ones. I got some HT brand ones (including the tensioner pulley) and I just didn't like the look of them at all. I honestly don't think they would've spun on the bearing well (if they spun at all) once tightened up, just from looking at the way they were made. I didn't feel comfortable with them and ended up sending them back.

Were yours OEM? Wondering if yours had the same weird build/shape that I noticed in mine.

Since I still have mine to do I'd like to hear what your issue turned out to be.

rhkwon

I replaced the tensioner pulley today and since there are really no instructions that I could find anywhere, I am adding my experience here. Replacement was with the entire top end removed so it was very easy. Not sure how or exactly what items would need to be removed before one could remove the actual tensioner by itself, so I won't get into that but at a minimum, throttle body and tubes, the PS pump and lines, and AC compressor will all need to be removed. I posted some instructions in my AOS post but will add some additional detail here. I would recommend replacing the old pulley with a Porsche OEM tensioner pulley ($~90) as the kit comes with all the necessary hardware including new pulley, upgraded 16mm bolt (for both added bolt strength and better torque strength for removal), 24mm nut, rear washer/spacer and pulley cover/washer. I also replaced the tensioner (Mubea), lever (Febi Bilstein) bolts and both lever seals. Both aftermarket parts looked exactly the same as the original OEM.

First remove the pulley. With an open ended wrench on the 15mm pulley bolt behind the pulley, point the wrench northeast and simultaneously push the wrench forward towards the front of the car (towards the PS support bracket) and applying force downwards so that the bolt can be held still. The reason for pushing the wrench forward is that there is a small protrusion on the PS support bracket (1 in pic) that you can use to hold the wrench still so that the wrench can be held steady. Use both the protrusion and your right hand to hold the wrench as steady as possible. Then using a big breaker bar and a 24mm socket and pushing left with your left hand, undo the 24mm nut by turning it left. Keep everything steady and even and it will come undone easily. No heat torching or partner necessary. Very easy to do and not a lot of force was necessary to break it loose. Remove the 24mm nut, then the pulley, then the washer. Make sure you do not drop/lose anything and keep in mind how everything comes off. The 15mm pulley bolt will not be able to be removed without removing the tensioner and/or the PS support bracket. My recommendation would be to remove the entire PS support bracket for reasons that will be discussed below. If you only want to remove the old 15mm bolt, you will need to use an h5mm hex socket to remove the 5mm hex bolt that is located in the middle of the tensioner that holds on to the lever from the back. My old lever had some noticeable play but this is normal. I noticed that the new tensioner also allows for some play. The 5mm hex bolt is what keeps the lever from moving at all. When I removed my 5mm hex bolt I noticed that it was totally loose! Also, my old lever had some minor pulley indention wear where the outer most part of the pulley was grinding against the lever. The lever will need some coaxing to be pulled out. There will be some old caked on lubricating grease. You can tap it out with a hammer from behind. Just be careful and gentle and it will come out. At this time, you can either leave the 2 rubber lever seals alone or replace them. My recommendation would be to replace them as mine were hard as rocks and disintegrating.

I recommend to remove the PS support bracket so that things will be much easier to replace while out of the engine. Remove the 4 13mm bolts that attach the PS support bracket. The front passenger side bolt will need a flex socket or wrench due to the arch being in the way. The left side of the support bracket has 2 metal spacers (3 in pic) that go into the support bracket and onto the engine so be careful here. Wriggle gently back and forth and front to back but not too aggressively at first. Then using a hammer, start hitting the arch upwards and eventually the bracket will come up out of the 2 driver side mounting/bolt holes. (2 in pic)

Now with the PS support bracket out, you can remove the 2 h6mm hex head bolts that attach the tensioner to the PS support bracket. To remove both the lever seals (4 in pic) be very careful. There is one in the front and one in the back. You most likely will not be able to pry these seals off with your hand as these are now hard as rocks after 20 years of heat. They are also attached to an outer lip on both sides from a separate metal tube that has been placed inside the inner tube of the PS support bracket. You can either carefully razor blade or cut off the seals or lightly chisel the seals from the inside where they will break off little by little. Be careful not to chisel away from the outside as this will destroy the outer metal lip. See pic. Seal removal with the PS support bracket still attached to the engine block will be extremely difficult otherwise. Replace with new nice and soft rubber seals and these should last you another 20 years. You don't want to have to buy a new PS support bracket because a new one costs about $600. Also note that there is a v on the inner metal tube which I thought was due to me chiseling away but I believe this is normal because it was exactly on both sides. Remember that the long side of the tensioner goes to the bottom of the PS support bracket. And of course clean everything down including the inside of the tube. Removing the old caked on grease will allow the lever to slide easily back in.

Make sure to apply some blue Loctite to the tensioner hex bolts. Not sure what the torque recommendation is for these 3 bolts but probably would not go over 20ft/lbs for the 2 larger ones. Then reattach the PS support bracket and then attach the new pulley. Make sure to apply red Loctite to the new pulley bolt and torque to 44/ft/lbs.

rhkwon

Picture of outer lip