did i screw up removing the tensioner pulley?

[1meanGTA]

i recently put in a new alternator with a smaller pulley on it, and i've been having some problems. first, i went with the next smallest size belt, 1/2 inch shorter than stock, and there was so much tension on the tensioner it sat at an angle, the bearing cover burned up and it popped off after about 20 seconds. went back to the stock belt and it actually works pretty well. the new pulley is 1/2 inch smaller in diameter and the instructions says to use a belt 1/2 the difference shorter, so i need one 1/4 inch shorter but dont know where to get one.

so i went to the junkyard, took off just the pulley piece of the tensioner, the bolt you turn clockwise to release the slack, i turned it counterclockwise and took it off. well, i put it back on my truck, didnt use threadlocker or anything, just tightened it as tight as it would go until it moved the tensioner to give slack.

today, i look at it, and the bolt is missing but somehow the pulley is still in place and doing its job. do i need to use threadlock, or somehow stop it from sliding over to give slack so i can get it tighter? my service manual only showed how to replace the whole tensioner assembly.

 

[1meanGTA]

ttt, this is my daily driver and i'm afraid to drive it like this. red threadlocker ftw?

 

[chrisis]

did you get the belt tensioner from junk yard or you bought a new one?

 

[1meanGTA]

the tensioner is the one that was on my truck. i took the pulley itself off a junkyard truck, but the bearings are in great condition, just a little bit of rust on the outside of the pulley where the belt rides. dont see why that would make the bolt come out like that though.

when the first one popped out of me, the bolt was missing, no idea where it went. tough to get in there and get a good look at the threads but they didnt feel stripped or anything putting the bolt in.

 

[chrisis]

belt tensioner is a cheap part. Don`t drive it without the bolt because if it comes out then your belt is going to break and you may overheat the engine and run into serious problems.

get a new one and i'm pretty sure the tensioner is the problem.

 

[1meanGTA]

well it was just fine before i took the bolt out to change the pulley, so i dont think theres anything wrong with the tensioner, and the threads don't seem stripped. am i doing something wrong to not get that bolt torqued down all the way that would make it come out like that?

also i drove it about 300 miles earlier today, i dont know how long it was like that but i'm guessing most if not all of the way

 

[DBray6]

A similar story. I replaced the belt on my 97 SOHC before a very long trip. After about 500 miles I hear a rattling type sound at the gas station. I pop the hood and notice the bolt for the belt tensioner, not the pulley bolt, but he actual bolt that holds the whole tensioner on is out and the only thing keeping it from falling out is the head is rubbing on the fan!!! I can't believe how lucky I was that the tensioner didn't fall right off in the middle of nowhere. I tightened the bolt and drove to NAPA and got a complete tensioner for about 50 bucks and no trouble since. Oh, don't attempt to change while the engine is hot. Good luck

 

[1meanGTA]

think i'm going to try some red thread locker and keep a real close eye on it for a few days.

 

[chrisis]

the tensioner bolt it doesn`t need a lot of torgue.if it came out then something is wrong with the tensioner. BUY A NEW ONE.don`t take any risk for $35 part.

if it was me i was going to put a new belt also.

thats my opinion.

good luck