Quote:
Originally Posted by bazar01  When I bought the Gates tensioner, the image showed a hex bolt but it came in with the torx head bolt. Oh well. I will not be touching it again until another 100k miles. I will deal with it then.
Oh, don't forget the bolt is left hand thread. Righty loosey, lefty tighty |
Yes, I saw the images of the Gates part on Rockauto.com. I wouldn't be surprised if all vendors have gone to the torx head, at this point. The torx bolt head is actually marked "LH" with a rotational arrow for emphasis.
The problem is that, while the tensioner may well last 100k miles, there are many other items, as you're aware of, that will require the belt to come off in order to service. Belt changes, PS pump, water pump, alternator, lower timing cover gaskets, etc.. And with 231k on the clock, this being my daily driver, I remove that belt on what seems to be a fairly regular basis. Given my initial experience and other's experiences, I see trouble down the road.
The pulley on the new tensioner is slightly different than the one on the old tensioner. The center hub appears to be more recessed, especially on the backside. More notable, is that the center recess has been reduced in diameter. It appears that the old style hex cap bolt will still fit, but I don't believe that the 16mm chrome socket will fit the new recess. If the old pulley doesn't fit the new tensioner, we're stuck with the torx head. And I'm not seeing replacement pulleys, other than those available for the old tensioner (same PN as the idler pulley). And all this supposes that the torx head is the same thread as the old hex head.
By the way, I did remove the pulley bolt from the old tensioner, it's M10-1.5x24 LH hex cap head w/flange, 10.9 strength.
If I can find someone who has replaced a tensioner with the torx head pulley bolt, and is willing to do some tear down and take measurements, I could lay this to rest.
Paul