Belt tensioner

Simple question, should I be able to move my belt tensioner by hand .5-1” ? I feel like the answer is no.
This is with no tools. Just pushing on the tensioner in direction of removing the belt.

 

I use a 1/2" I believe breaker bar. There is a 1/2" square hole in the tensioner.
Oh on edit, no it should be tight. That's why it's called a tensioner. Not sure what is causing that.

 

I have never really tried to do that, but it would seem reasonable that you could move the tensioner some distance because, after all, the tension of the belt would be assisting with the movement. It wouldn't be any different than removing 50 lbs from the trunk of a car and watching the body raise up.

- John

 

Last but not least, there isn't a tremendous tension on the belt, that would damage the bearings.

But to fully release the tensioner so that the belt can be changed that needs a lot of force against the spring.
And also, a belt tensioner is a wear item. It is recommended to change it together with the belt.

 

I keep a spare in the truck. Now it never fails.

 

Thank you all for the replies, decided I am just going to buy the following kit from Geno's and install it. Truck is 20years old with 121k on the clock and all parts are still factory installed. I know that doesn't make much difference to some of you, but the previous owner only drove maybe 2-3000 miles a year in the last 4 years of his owner ship and now that I have put 19k on it in the year I have had it, I am starting to find all the issues and problems.
ACCESSORY DRIVE BELT KIT - GATES ('03-'12)
Item #: GATES-90K38285

 

Good idea!

- John

 

No, you shouldn't be able to push the pulley by hand, UNLESS you're Superman strong.

Without the tensioner putting tension on the belt, there is no tension on the belt to help collapse the tensioner.

 

I don't know the quality of the Gates tensioner that Geno's sells. I tried a Gates tensioner on a Grand Cherokee and it was a piece of CRAP! I sent it back and purchased an OEM - night and day difference.

 

If that ends up being the case I’ll do that but being Genos is a sponsor for this site and 90% of the people here recommend gates parts, it also came as a kit for what I needed it was my best and quickest option.
Again, worst case I go OEM and my truck is down a little longer

 

I've had no problem with Gates tensioners. Now, Cummins tensioners, we've bought 80 in the last 12 months for a fleet of 600 school buses. Granted, the buses run a lot more hours than our 350 support vehicles, but still....

 

A neighbor bought a water pump, tensioner and belt from Advance for his '06. He had just had surgery and could not do the work. It had shucked the belt and the crank pulley was full of rubber. I scraped the pulley grooves clean and installed the water pump and remove a tensioner with Dayco markings on it, and a plastic pulley. The new one was a Litens which is the folks who invented the automatic belt tensioner in 1979. It had a metal pulley. I bought a Litens tensioner for mine and a Gates Green Fleet Runner belt and a Gates (china) water pump (very nice looking though). At the time I needed the belt, pump, etc, the belt was on national backorder and I found one at an O'Reilly's 50 miles from me.

Still cannot figure out why only Mercedes puts a hole in their tensioners so you can pin them for belt installation or removal. On my Sprinter chassis motor home, you pulled it to the stop and put in a 1/8 drill bit and threaded the belt and then pulled the breaker bar and took the pin out. No one else seems to do this.

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Confirm for yourself but this appears to fit 2003 and up 5.9 and at least some 6.7 engines.

Charles

 

It today's litigious society my guess would be because if the pin/bit slipped, the tensioner would put a serious hurt on whatever body part it touched. The people here might be able to safely use it, but never forget that the world is full of idiots.

 

Volkswagen does it. Just replaced the timing belt on my 2014 Passat TDI, The timing kit included a new serpentine accessory drive belt and a pin to pin the tensioner. I didn't even know that the tensioner could be pinned. It took me awhile to figure out what the long pin was for. It sure made lifer a lot easier.

- John

 

I've owned Mercedes, beginning with a 1962 190D diesel, and they've always been innovative way before anyone else. Little things like this.

 

I think I bought my last tensioner at NAPA. Happy with it.