2000AZ5.0GT

Hey guys, It's been a while since I've done a ton of stuff to my car myself, and for the life of me I can't remember how to manage to compress or extend the belt tensioner with the bracket assembly on. Is there an easy way that you guys with vortech's know of?

Right now it's running well with the K061098 belt on it, but there's still a lot of belt slip above 5000RPM that I need to take care of, so I'm going to go with the 4061080 belt, but I spent a few hours yesterday trying to get it on there with no luck, anybody have any suggestions?

it's not like I need that much tension removed, it's really a matter of maybe an inch or so, so I know the belt will fit, I just cant do it myself using the method I use now.

FWIW, right now I route the belt around all of the other accessory drive pulleys except for the water pump, saving that for last.

Any better methods? Anyone know how to access the tensioner with the supercharger bracket?

grogan

its a pita but i found it best to either:

1. unbolt the alternator, not completly but enough to where you can pull the belt over the pulley and then bolt everything back up.

2. takes 2 people but, you need big channellocks. grab the idler pulley and turn on it, have the second person pull the slack in the belt over the alternator and wala. =)

machracer11

^+1... two people and its easy breezy

vanquish

+1 for 2 ppl. route the belt around everything but the alternator. Use a prybar to push up on the tensioner while laying under the car. Then have somebody slip the belt over the alternator pulley.

04orngegt

second on the channel locks but it takes two people.

2000AZ5.0GT

Why don't you guys route it around everything but the water pump? The alternator has a lip to it, I would imagine slipping it over the water pump pulley, which is smooth, is easier, no?

I figured it would take two people, which is why I'm going to work on it next weekend when I get to Tucson, but with just me here, it's hard to do anything by myself, especially with a limited starter set for tools (just in my apartment).

What really pisses me off is I was about an inch away from getting it done myself, while yes, this means I cannot do it myself, the place I took it to had it for about two weeks, and couldn't accomplish it.

2000AZ5.0GT

Update.

There is a trick to the tensioner, figured it out today with the help of my dad.

The key is a 1/4" drive, not the 3/8" drive. There's a rescess in the tensioner due to the texture of the molding that allows you to fit the 1/4" drive in there snugly, and gives you enough leverage on it.

It must be done from underneath if you're running the vortech bracket, I wasn't able to find any other way, but thought some others could use the heads up.

We were able to get the K061080 on there, which is 108.22" in length on in a matter of 5 minutes, without any pain or a tough time.

rman101

we used channel locks on the tensioner and had it over all the pulleys but the water pulley ( i think whatever one vortech tells u to do last) as i pushed the tensioner my friend pulled the belt over it was easy to do it this way

jvog

I use the serpentine belt tensior tool(long bar thing) I can put it under the end of the tensioner and pull down. The middle of the bar will be hitting part of your bracket so it acts like a lever. Then one person slips the belt onto the alternator