Fiero Belt Tensioner (Page 12/27)
Samohtneas JUL 18, 03:38 AM
Interesting.

I've been told stock the Fiero has no tensioner. Is this true, and therefore the reason you're selling this?

I'm still pretty nooby to working on the car myself.
Synthesis JUL 18, 10:41 AM

quote
Originally posted by Samohtneas:

Interesting.

I've been told stock the Fiero has no tensioner. Is this true, and therefore the reason you're selling this?

I'm still pretty nooby to working on the car myself.



The Fiero 2.8 does not have a tensioner. You use the Alternator adjustment to tighten the belt.
The stock routing of the alternator belt on the Fiero 2.8 only lets the belt wrap around the pully approximately 1/3rd of the way.
If the belt gets any water on it, or loosens in the slightest, then the belt starts to squeal at idle or under extreme load, even at higher speeds.

You end up re-tensioning the belt by loosening the alternator and swinging it out further. This can cause other issues such as premature bearing failure in both the water pump and the alternator. I know this from experience, as I toasted the bearings in a brand new water pump in less than 1000 miles due to an over-tightened alternator belt. And the worst part is, no matter how snug you get it again, it will just stretch some more.

Dodgerunner's tensioner bracket solves this problem. The bracket bolts onto the engine in 3 locations. The two main bolts that hold it in place are the two motor mount to block bolts on the front of the 2.8. The bracket bolts in as two pieces, and then a single bolt holds the two pieces together once everything else is snugged down.
It is an ingenious design, and VERY solid when tightened down.

The third bolt that the bracket uses to attach to the engine is the alternator adjustment bolt. The bracket sits in front of the lower alternator bracket, and fixes the alternator in a permanent position. No more need to adjust the alternator for any reason.

Once the bracket is bolted in, it is ready for the stock GM tensioner from most GM 3.1l V6 engines. The tensioner bolts right onto the bracket. The bracket even has a nut with the appropriate thread size already welded in waiting for the tensioner bolt.

You can buy salvage yard tensioners for 10 bucks a pop, or buy new for 30-50 depending on brand and store.

I installed mine on my car on May 10th of this year with a brand new belt. When I went to start the car for testing purposes, it fired right up with no belt squeal whatsoever. I put it through a gauntlet of tests.. Headlights on, blower motor on high with the "AC" button turned on so the radiator fan would kick on. I let everything get up to speed, and then fired the car up. Not a peep.

I finally took the car to the car wash and let it idle in the bay while I hit the front of the motor with high pressure spray. NO NOISE.

In my honest opinion, this is one of the best improvement products for the stock V6 you can find, and everyone should have one.
whodeanie SEP 11, 01:04 PM
I just got mine today and I will post again once I get time to install it on the car.
it looks like a nice part.
D.
flimbob SEP 19, 02:34 PM
PM sent
Blacktree SEP 19, 04:46 PM
I've been using Dodgerunner's belt tensioner bracket for almost 2 years now. First of all, the bracket works great. And I'm glad that my V6 now has a spring-loaded tensioner. And BTW, it works just as well on a 3.4 as it does on a 2.8.

However, I had some issues with belt stretch using the recommended 45" belt. When the belt is new, everything works great. But after it breaks in, it stretches a bit, which brings the tensioner close to the end of its adjustment range. After a while, it gets loose enough to start slipping. I was replacing the belt every 6 months or so.

I remedied this with a slightly shorter (44.5") belt. To install the shorter belt, I had to crank the tensioner all the way over. But after the belt broke in, the tensioner was at the center of its adjustment range. Hopefully, the shorter belt will last longer.

As always, YMMV. But I thought I should share this info.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 09-19-2009).]

2002z28ssconv SEP 20, 02:10 AM
Really happy with mine after about a year too. Unlike Blacktree, I found the belt to be a bit tight on our stock 88 2.8 manual. The belt actually let go the other day leaving me stranded. With less than 15,000 on a Goodyear belt, that was way too soon in my opinion.
I went with a 457 belt (45 3/4") this time. Still no squeeking and hopefully the belt will last a little longer this time.

STILL A GREAT BIG THUMBS UP ON THE TENSIONER!!! Thanks!!!
Dodgerunner SEP 20, 09:58 AM
I've often wondered if there are some variations in pulley sizes on some engines but have no way of knowing. Hopefully there are not differences in the brand of tensioners that owners purchase their self verses what I use.

I have made small changes in the bracket to ease installation over time but I test run every bracket to make sure they work right. All brackets over the past year or so are of the same venison.

Even buildup of dirt in the pulley grooves could have an affect on belt tightness and wear.
Might be something I should advise to be checked before install.

Blacktree, 2002z28ssconv if you have any futher problems let me know and we can swap out the brackets if you would like.
Synthesis SEP 20, 11:06 AM

quote
Originally posted by Dodgerunner:

I've often wondered if there are some variations in pulley sizes on some engines but have no way of knowing. Hopefully there are not differences in the brand of tensioners that owners purchase their self verses what I use.

I have made small changes in the bracket to ease installation over time but I test run every bracket to make sure they work right. All brackets over the past year or so are of the same venison.

Even buildup of dirt in the pulley grooves could have an affect on belt tightness and wear.
Might be something I should advise to be checked before install.

Blacktree, 2002z28ssconv if you have any futher problems let me know and we can swap out the brackets if you would like.



DodgeRunner,

I went with a different tensioner design than what is shown in the photos in this thread. There were two main designs, the Gates style, and the more robust "OEM" body design. The OEM body design is the same length, but features a thicker body up to the pulley. In my case, the pulley is steel, and the tool fitting on the tensioner is closer to the pulley end of the body, giving more leverage. The pulley sizes appear to be the same, and this should not have varied for any of the V6s GM installed this tensioner on.
I have noticed very minor belt slippage recently, only when very wet. It goes away almost immediately. Keep in mind, the front of the engine on the Fiero is more exposed to water in large volumes (car wash or rain) than other GM vehicles under a solid hood.

I have checked my belt, and it appears to be in great shape, no cracks or questionable spots. I suspect there may be pulley size differences, but that are very minor. Enough to cause issues? Probably.
Blacktree SEP 20, 12:03 PM
I also use an OEM tensioner (pulled from a GM 3100 V6 in a junkyard) with a (new) steel pulley. I also have a CS130 alternator. The alternator came with a new pulley. So I didn't use the Fiero pulley. These minor differences may have caused my problems.

I still stand by the bracket, though. And I have no intention of removing the tensioner setup. I would still recommend the tensioner bracket to anyone who doesn't have one. But as with any custom application, you sometimes have to custom-fit stuff. That goes with the territory.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 09-20-2009).]

RickN SEP 27, 12:44 PM

quote
Originally posted by Blacktree:...However, I had some issues with belt stretch using the recommended 45" belt. When the belt is new, everything works great. But after it breaks in, it stretches a bit, which brings the tensioner close to the end of its adjustment range. After a while, it gets loose enough to start slipping. I was replacing the belt every 6 months or so.

I remedied this with a slightly shorter (44.5") belt. To install the shorter belt, I had to crank the tensioner all the way over. But after the belt broke in, the tensioner was at the center of its adjustment range...



I remembered reading this so as I was doing some maintenance on the car this weekend I looked mine over. The location of the alternator adjuster greatly influences where the idler is in it's operating range for a given belt length. I used DR's kit with his provided belt, it's not been on the car for a lot of miles but it appears to be located well and if needed I still have approximately 1/2" - 3/4" of adjustment left in the alternator bracket slide to take up a little bit of stretch.

[This message has been edited by RickN (edited 09-27-2009).]