I couldn't believe today when a neignbor called me for "help !"...
He and a friend were trying to put a new alternator on a 2002 Cavalier
with 2200 push rod engine and they broke the serpentine belt tensioner...
The squrare socket where the 3/8" socket wrench goes into the tensioner arm
broke off at the end of the arm...(arm was made of "Pot Metal"...Oops !...)
I said, "You'll have to loosen the motor mounts, jack up the engine for enough
room to replace the tensioner assembly because there's not enough room
to do the job without raising the engine...
They said, "How do we do that ?"...
I didn't want to get more involved, so I told them to call a wrecker and get the car to a dealer...
$85.00 for a wrecker charge and $124 billed by the dealer for part and
labor (which seemed unusually "cheap") and the car is back in their
driveway...
This is just a warning...that tensioner arm is cheap, easily breakable
metal...
Be careful !!...
If you lie across the engine you can remove it without taking anything else off. A little tight , but possible.
It is not made of "pot metal", it is cast alluminum. Same stuff as used on a set of wheels, but lower quality. Don't believe me, cut it. you'll see.
