Serpentine Belt - Tensioner

[DavesRodeo]

DavesRodeo is in trouble again! I'm attempting to replace the belt on my 2000 Rodeo and the tensioner seems to be frozen. Hit it with some liquid wrench and now the bolt will loosen but the tensioner still won't budge. Is there a way to release the tensioner that I am unaware of or is it Isuzu's way of forcing me to pay for service. Really don't want to pay $80-$100 to replace a $17 belt that should take 5 minutes if the tensioner worked.
This is my first posting here - hope you folks can help. Thanks for your time.

[amigo-2k]

This belt should be changed when medium to large cracks are visible in the grooves of the belt (if you can see the white treads change it soon). Most belts last about 30-45K. The OEM belt costs about 17 bucks from St. Charles and it took me and my father about 5 minutes to replace. The easiest way to relive tension from the belt tensor is to place a 1-2 foot pipe on the end of your socket wrench (this will give you more torque).


Please see the link at the bottom of my post for more useful info:

-Ryan

[DavesRodeo]

Thanks for the response Ryan. I can attach a wrench with pipe to the bolt on the tensioner - but the bolt just starts to loosen and the tension remains - with no slack afforded for the removal / replacement of the belt. Should the bolt be turned to loosen (counterclockwise) or to tighten to move the tensioner? Does the bolt come out altogether? I just feel like I'm missing something in the process of releasing the tension.
Thanks again.
Dave

[amigo-2k]

Pull on it Clockwise to releave the tension. You will not remove any bolts.

[geg]

There is one bolt that is the adjusting mechanism on the tensioner. The nut on the front of the pulley is what you need to loosen. The nut can be a bear, but should not need much of a pipe. I used my breaker bar and it was not a problem.