Before we install it I'm going to pull this out a little bit. It'll operate in the same manner and keep your belt nice and tight on the vehicle. On the new one it is actually a 16 millimeter. This here is a 14 millimeter socket on the old one. On the auto tensioner you'll use a 14 millimeter socket to move it. This captures the bolt and keeps it from falling out while you're trying to install it. It normally would sit down in that opening just like this here. This is a little bushing that just captures the bolt. This is loose because as you install it, it will get tighter.
We have our new drive belt tensioner from. Bearings aren't really noisy but the tensioner pulley does have a lot of rubber bits stuck to it so we put a new belt on the vehicle and that's why we want to change the tensioner so it's nice and smooth. Here's our old drive belt tensioner we took off the vehicle. Now I'm going to lift out the auto tensioner. There I got it so I'm going to reach in there with my other hand, grab the drive belt tensioner and pull my left hand out with the bolt. Sometimes you've got to take just the bare socket in your fingertips to help loosen it. All right, now it's just caught on that lower one. Now I'm loosening the center bolt on the auto tensioner, the drive bolt tensioner by hand so it's real loose. It doesn't have much resistance but I do need to use the ratchet on it. Using my fingers and wrist to turn it out. I'm going to switch to a shorter ratchet just because now that it's loose I don't need as much leverage and I can unbolt it quicker. I'm going to use a breaker bar and a 12 point socket, 14 millimeter to help me get onto that nut or actually it's a long bolt. That has a lot more tension on it or torque so when I break it free, I'll leave the other bolt in there so the auto tensioner doesn't spin on me while I'm trying to remove it. I'm going to get it just so it's like fairly loose but not all the way out because I want to loosen the central bolt of the idler pulley, which goes through the center of the drive belt tensioner.
I can actually get it loose enough that I can spin it with my fingertips. Use the extension and 12 millimeter shallow socket with a smaller ratchet now that's broken free. I'm going to put, it's a 12 millimeter bolt, I'm going to put the socket and extension on it first and then bring the ratchet down. You're going to have to kind of feel for it. This bolt on the bottom is tricky to get to. It's kind of something you'll have to do by feel to get up in there. It is sort of hidden and I'm using a mirror to see it. One is through the idler pulley and then there is a bottom one through an ear on the tensioner. There are two bolts holding on the drive belt tensioner. Got to guide the belt off of the pulleys. Release the tension on it so we can take the breaker bar out. Pull to the rear of the car to relieve the tension on the belt. Take a 14mm socket and a breaker bar, put it down in here. To remove your drive belt, you need to place a 14mm socket with a breaker bar on the auto tensioner to relieve the tension.