Replacing ALT, 94 Cutless Ciera 3.1L sedan

I have a 1994 Cutless Ciera 3.1L Sedan w/ AC. I need to replace the ALT.

It has a "square hole" that a breaker bar/ratchet fits in to relieve the tension on the belt.

Is there a "right/wrong" way to turn the tensioner ? Can i cause any kind of damage in the process ?

As you can tell,i've never replaced a ALT with this type of "belt release".

Any suggestions appreciated.

bubba

welcome to AF.

Its pretty easy, it will only turn one direction.
If you move the tensioner one direction it will only tighten the belt.
The other way will loosen it to remove the belt from the pully.

Also on some 3.1s you need a thinner tool to fit in there to get to the tensioner.
You can rent or buy them for about $20-25.


Make sure you disconnect the battery too!
One plug in and the red wire to the back side.

Hope that helped.