1991 Cougar - How to Re-Seat Serpentine Belt Idler Pulley

[Samsco]

I have a 1991 Cougar LS, V6 that I just had to replace the alternator on. Removing the idler pulley next to the alternator so that I could remove the serpentine belt and remove the alternator was simple enough. I have the new alternator on and the serpentine belt back on.

The problem now is to put the idler pulley back in place. There are two stubs in the housing which have to line up before the housing will seat properly and the only way they will line up is when there is tension on the belt. It seems difficult to keep the tension on the belt while tightening the hex bolt on the tensioner housing at the same time.

Can someone give me some tips on how to do this? Thanks.

[way2old]

The tensioner you are referring to should be installed before the belt is installed. Then you move the tensioner arm to allow the belt to be installed and the tensioner will keep the belt in place.

[Samsco]

Thanks for the response. I can see now that you have to release tension on the belt in order to properly seat that idler housing. I found what I guess you are referring to as the tension arm in the lower left side of the engine beneath the air conditioner compressor. I can't find a way to loosen or adjust it however. It doesn't have a standard nut on it so that you can't put a wrench on it.

It seems to have some type of multi-point nut sunken into the front of it but there isn't room to put a screwdriver in there. What kind of tool does it take to loosen that tension arm so that you can move it and release/restore tension on the belt?

[obryan71]

There is a square hole in the tensioner that you put your 3/8 ratchet into, could be 1/2" can't remember. Push in the direction to remove tension off of belt.

[Samsco]

>>There is a square hole in the tensioner that you put your 3/8 ratchet into, could be 1/2" can't remember. Push in the direction to remove tension off of belt.<<

Thanks for all of the tips and responses. I've tried both the "3/8" and "1/2" ratchets you mentioned and neither will fit in the hole in this tensioner. I've placed a photo of my tensioner at the end of this message. The nut on the right hand pulley apparently only lets you change the pulley and has nothing to do with the belt tension. It's the pivot point on the left which is where the tension is actually adjusted and that's the one that is giving me fits.

I went out and got a "Universal Serpentine Belt" tool which supposedly will let you adjust any tensioner available. It had the "3/8" and "1/2" ratchet ends you mentioned plus a selection of socket and open end wrench ends. *Nothing* on that supposedly "Universal" belt tool (including the ratchet drive ends) would fit my tensioner however and I am completely stumped at this point.

It looks as if it takes something like a large allen wrench to fit in that hole but I can't really see the nut in there clearly enough to tell what shape it really is. Hopefully someone can help me break the code on this one. Thanks again.

[way2old]

If you try to tighten the nut on the pulley, does it release the tension on the belt? Sometimes that is what is done to release.

[Samsco]

Thanks for the response. I've tried moving that nut on the pulley on the right but it appears to only allow you to change/remove the pulley and doesn't seem to affect the tension on the belt. I am going to try playing with it some more today however in case there is something I am missing.

[Samsco]

Yes!!! That finally got it! The trick turned out to be not to loosen the nut on right hand pulley but to find the right size box wrench to fit it, grab that nut with the universal serpentine belt tool and use the belt tool as a pry bar to move that tensioner away from the belt. There was a **LOT** of spring tension on it and it took a ton of force to do it but I finally got the belt on. Thanks again.