QuestionHello, I get a squeak every cold morning on the Santy, and it seems to be coming from the belt tensioner. The vehicle has 123K on it, and has been trouble free thus far. I want to replace this item, and have 2 choices, the whole unit, or just the pulley/bearing assy. Is there a con to replacing just the bearing, and in either case, is there any special tool or whatnot needed to remove and install the assy? Thanx in advance.
AnswerIf you have the 2.7L V6 engine, the tensioner is one assembly; you cannot replace just the pulley. To remove, you'll need a 17mm wrench to fit over the end of the tensioner (if it's the original design) or a 3/8" drive ratchet to fit in the square hole in the tensioner (if it's the later design). Simply push down on the tensioner, slip the belt off one of the pulleys, and release the tensioner. Remove the two 12mm bolts, remove the tensioner, install new tensioner, and reinstall belt.
If you have the 2.4L four cylinder, you'll just want to replace the pulley itself, but you may need to remove the power steering pump mounting bracket to fully access everything necessary.
