tensioner trouble

91CaliTBIRD

Registered User
When my SC idles i can see the sc tensioner bounce up and down. It does it every second or so at idle. I was wondering if this is normal (which i doubt it is) and was also wondering how i go about fixing it....can i buy the springs for these tensioners and rebuild them?
Thanks
 
It's not unusual for them to bounce a little, especially if you have a rough idle. However, if the bearing in the idler pulley starts going bad it will make them bounce worse because the bearing sticks a little. Remove the belt and see if the pulley turns smoothly and check that there is no side to side movement.

Several places sell replacement pulleys...I've got a set of Billet Flow pulleys that look pretty nice and have been holding up real well.

David
 
68COUGAR said:
There is a seller on E-bay called: wazee1 who sells idler pulleys. Here's one of his current auctions: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38656&item=7947400192&rd=1

I'm told that AutoZone sells steel idlers pretty cheap.

68COUGAR
I recently went to AutoZone to replace my plastic tensioner pulleys and was not happy with the quality of their steel tensioners. They are nothing more than a stamped steel pulley and they are not very concentric (round).
VERY CHEAPLY MADE.
The idlers on ebay are real nice aluminum pulleys.
Super Coupe Performance sells steel pulleys at $25 ea. I'm not sure how they are constructed.
For the extra money the aluminum pulleys look likt the best way to go.
 
Here a link to the ordering info and some pics of the Billet Flow pulleys.

http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34723&highlight=Billet+Flow


Another popular pulley is made by Heartland...I've got one of their 10 rib pulleys on my supercharger belt. I don't think it looks as good as the Billet Flow but it's working fine and has already outlasted what I had before. Here's the link with ordering info and some pics of the Heartland pulleys.

http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34722

David
 
I bought an aftermarket pulley once and the offset was wrong
and the belt started to fray on the free end. see attachment.
 

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Check the tensioner for the correct spring load. The SC idler should be 10lb or more. The Ford shop manual lists each tensioner specs. The easy was to test the tensioner is to use a toruqe wrench. Set the tension to 10ft lb and a connect it to the idler pulley with a 18mm socket. Release the tension using the wrench and if it clicks the idler is still good. :cool:

DRIVE BELT TENSIONER SPECIFICATIONS

Part...................Application............Minimum
Number................Usage..................Torque
E9SE-6B209-GA 3.8L SFI Accessory (21 Lb-Ft)
E9SE-6B209-JA 3.8L S/C Accessory (16 Lb-Ft)
E9SE-6B209-HA 3.8L S/C Supercharger (10 Lb-Ft)
E9SE-6B209-KA 3.8L S/C Jackshaft Drive (10 Lb-Ft)



Rich
 
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