tensioner pulley tips? replacing tomorrow

Just wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks to replacing the tensioner pullies? These suckers have serious pre-loaded springs in them! i know that Anything thats going to make my little project easier? Starting them tomorrow morning.

thanks

p.s.- are these new steel ones going to quiet down my engine bay noise?right now it sounds like complete trash. i have all the plastic ones in right now. its like a constant whirring and low volume squeeking at the same time.

Not as bad as it seems! I believe it is an 18mm bolt on the pulley. I put the socket on a long breaker bar and put the socket on the bolt on the pulley bolt (not the tensioner bolt!), turn the breaker bar as if you are tightening the bolt (righty-tighty) and the tensioner will swing away from the belt. You can move the bar until you fell the tensioner hit the stop. Then remove the belt from underneath the tensioner pulley. SLOWLY release the pressure on the breaker bar until the tensioner rests on the other stop. This works best with two people, but can be accomplished by one person.

Then you can turn the bolt counter-clockwise to remove the bolt from the tensioner pulley. You do not have to remove the actual tensioners to put on new pulleys. I don't know which replacement pulleys you bought, but if you reuse the stock washer make sure it does not touch or bind up the new pulley.

Pretty simple job actually.
I just use the stock tire iron from the trunk. Nice long handle and fits the nut almost perfect.
Or you can use a ratchet and socket with a length of pipe over the handle of the ratchet for leverage.
Once the tension is off, just loosen the bolt in the center of the pulley, take off the old one and put on the new one.
The new steel ones will be noticably quieter than the plastic ones. My plastic ones used to rattle a lot

Sounds pretty self explanitory. The one that looks hard is the one down by the crank pulley I had the Altenator Tensioner pulley off and checked the surface of the plastic pulley, it was rather wavy. Hopefully it quiets things down a bit!

thanks for the quick replies guys.

I just use the stock tire iron from the trunk. Nice long handle and fits the nut almost perfect.

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You might as well go get a set of 1/2" drive metric sockets, and a 1/2" drive ratchet and then a 1/2" drive breaker bar. I think mine is 24inches and it's long enough for my 16year old to hold it back while I fight to put the new belt on.

coincidence that the tire iron fits? isnt the tensioner bolt the same as the mounting bolt? 18 mm? might make sense in case you pop a belt, so you can put a new one on, on the side of the road ...

Oh, make sure the engine isn't running with your head down in the engine compartment. Once that belt decides to come off it has a way of wrapping around your head and just about strangles you to death. It's a good thing the engine died while trying to wrap my body around the accessories.

lmfaosomp!!!!

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

going to change them right now, got a buddy to hold my tensioners while i nab the pullies.

Through previous experience, after i fix the tnesioner pullies.....whats going to go wrong next? Maybe i can get a headstart and order the parts. I'm thinking the windshield wipers may go on the fritz and fly off in the middle of traffic. Rendering an elderly woman unconcious on the sidewalk.

Well i just finished the install of 2 of the new steel pullies. HOKY CRAPOLA!!! I can barely hear the car running! 1 left to do and shes going to be purring

i recommend Dayco #89016 Pullies to everyone!