Tensioner nightmare

[prowlerflyer]

So, leaving work the other day I had a short period of time of a belt squeal. Went away after 1-2 minutes. Looked at it when I got home and did not notice anything unusual.

Started the car this morning and immediately as the motor started I heard a pop. I shut it off and popped the hood. Chunk missing out of the water pump pulley (plastic factory one) and appears contact with the tensioner’s mounting bolt post (the cast aluminum post closer to the water pump pulley than the tensioner pulley). Due to very short of time, jumped to the spare.

Tore it apart today and…..https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211112/52c158ce738b749c80282bb83d55460a.jpg


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[prowlerflyer]

I think the broken tensioner and pulley are are result of this…
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211112/a54305586d841e66ed05dcbc734cc407.jpg


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[prowlerflyer]

Looks like where part of the tensioner mounts to the OFH broke off.

No obvious signs why, guessing corrosion. The car spent its first 6 years in Detroit, but can’t tell for sure.

Really an unusual failure, have not heard of this before.


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[Oli77]

! Dang! How do you fix that?
Nightmare is right. Never seen this.
Hope people with more experience can help you out.

[sillieidiot]

since it broke right across the screw hole, I'm going to venture a guess that it was tightened too much at one point.

is this the OFH side that you can take off? if so, just buy a used one and replace.

[prowlerflyer]

Yes, the whole OFH will have to be replaced. Have one on order. Ordered the BavAuto OFH gasket too. Several vendors had it and advertised it as being superior, designed specifically to be long lasting.

It’s been years since I did the tensioner last, so if I over tightened it, it took a long time to fail. I am usually pretty diligent about using a torque wrench too.

Going to work on getting the OFH out today. Not really looking forward to it. With the TS2 in the car it’s even more of a PITA.


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[sillieidiot]

Yes it is. That's why I tried to take care of all the crap that was under the manifold before the sc was installed lol save me some pain later.

[johnrando]

GL with the fixes.

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[Fried_Chicken]

My tensioner also broke, but not the housing it mounts to. Rather unfortunate.

[prowlerflyer]

Got it all out. Not too bad. Got lucky snaking it around the s/c.

Close examination isn’t definitive, but I think it fractured on a casting line that runs through the upper tensioner bolt hole. Why now, no idea. Wondering if the upper bolt had loosened the movement caused stress and fracture.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211113/2f79ac784a5459211fb7682c3844c97c.jpg


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[prowlerflyer]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211113/f206fa75f7d7301e093e8e61d69ec200.jpg


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[sillieidiot]

Could be that. The hydraulic tensioner failed on JRs car where the plastic bushing or something that the bolt goes through and it was like flapping around if you yank it around hard enough, not noticeable without some force. Maybe that's what happened to yours? We replaced it cause I happened to have a hydraulic tensioner just lying around. There's no slack at all compared to what came off the car. I hope there's no crack on his car. I gotta remember to look at that next time lol