Cadillac Repair: Water pump belt, head bolts, sevile

Question
I have a 96 Sevile SLS.  My belt to the water pump broke.  It is a small belt the goes from the cam to the water pump.  I was attempting to change it last night but could not figure how to get it on.  The tensioner is so close to the valve cover that I cannot get the belt through.   I did not see a way to take off the tensioner. Is there some special trick to putting on this belt?  Thanks in advance.

Answer
Hi Julius, Those pump belts are in a tight spot. If you can't squeeze it in past the pulley then you will need to remove the waterpump in which case you might as well replace it. The tensioner isn't too strong so you can eithor remove the 2 10mm head bolts or lift if up with your fingers or a small prybar. Be advised that there is a special socket that you might be able to rent from Auto Zone and the pump is removed from the backside by turning clockwise. They are pretty tight so a long breaker bar might be needed depending how strong you are. Bill