Well guys I really did good with my second major attempt to change my alternator. I finally went out and bought the right torx bits (2 trips) only to find out that one of the heads is pretty much stripped. So that baby probably won't be coming out the easy way. Hold on it gets better. So I figured I'd take another try at getting the belt off... so i managed to snap the head off the belt tensioner. I'm really not sure what to do. Should I even drive this thing with that bolt head gone, can the tensioner pop off under load. I turned the car on real quick and brought it up to 2000 real quick to see if it would hold and it did (what did i have to lose at that point). I have to drive 1.5 hours to Seatac tommorow and back, should I find another car?

Just call me gracie.

 

I wouldn't be driving around the block with a broken tensioner bolt.

Get it fixed or take a different car.

Just my 2 cents.

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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R

R.I.P. #3
My favorite quote about D.E. "He can see air"

 

Ryan,

Say goodnight, Gracie.

Now you're looking for a tensioner, some bolts, AND some penetrating oil. You've only got a couple of hours before AutoZone closes, so I'd be moving fast...

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Later,
Vader
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"I'm'a do Things My Way - It's My way or the Highway."
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Vader,
Why do you say that the tensioner needs to be replaced. Isn't it possible to drill out the old bolt and replace it with a new one? I'm going to take it in on thursday and have a real mechanic take care of it, my f-body do-it-yourself days are over. Thanks.

 

Ryan,

Maybe I misunderstood, but if you broke the bolt that is in the center of the tensioner, you might have trouble finding an exact replacement. A new tensioner with a NEW bearing is about thirty bucks. Unless you have a shoulder bolt like I've seen in these, your mechanic will probably charge more in labor to repair the tensioner than the replacement would cost. If you broke a mounting bolt, that's a different story.

I wouldn't trust driving it far that way, either.

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Later,
Vader
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"I'm'a do Things My Way - It's My way or the Highway."
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Vader,
In order to replace the tensioner, wouldn't you have to drill out the old bolt anyway? Replacing it sounds like the smart way to go. I think I will try that after taking the most foolish route i could. I suppose this is a dealer only part? Thanks for you help.