I have a 1992 saturn sl1 with power steering but no ac. Just replaced the water pump and am trying to reinstall the serpentine belt. Took the tensioner off but now can't get it back on because belt tension is too tight. Is there a way to release or relax the tension on the belt so I can install the tensioner with the belt in position or is there some trick to reinstalling the tensioner with the belt in place?
The tensioner needs to be installed in order to put the belt on. Look under the hood for the serpentine belt diagram. It should show you which direction the tensioner should be rotated in order to release the tension on the belt. AutoZone will have the tool to do the job or you can buy one at sears for $25 to $30. If the belt has cracks or has been on the car for a while (>30000 miles) it's best just to put a new one on.
A normal wrench worked for me.
If you physically remove the tensioner (I did this once.. what a bite) you need to take the belt off and reinstall the tensioner first. You'l have to ask how to set the proper tension for I'm not sure. You can then reinstall the belt.
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