What does the strain pulley do?
A travel belt tensioner is a pulley mounted on a spring device or adjustable pivot point that is utilized to keep tension on the engine belts. … Both are used to keeptension on the engine serpentine belts in order that they can travel the many engine accessories.

How do you change a tensioner pulley?
Turn the adjustment bolt privately, top or bottom level of the pulley counterclockwise with the ratchet and socket before item belt is loose enough to eliminate. Tighten the tensioner pulley by turning the adjustment bolt clockwise with the ratchet and socket until the belt is tight.
How do you know

A tensioner pulley tutorials the belt around the tensioner and allows the belt to spin while the tensioner maintains pressure against it. A failing tensioner pulley can cause power reduction and harm to your belt-driven systems. You may have a failing tensioner pulley if you hear any squeaking or squealing beneath the hood. Bearings on the pulley can wear out, causing noise and heat. Pulleys are usually made of either plastic or metallic, so examine the pulley itself for any damage aswell. At O’Reilly Car Parts, we’ve tensioner pulleys designed for many vehicle models.

The programmed pulley tensioner has an internal spring-loaded mechanism that keeps the serpentine belt under frequent tension. Its design enables it to keep the serpentine belt taut, to ensure that the other equipment pulleys rotate at the same rpm (revolutions each and every minute) while beneath the same safe pressure. Tensioner pulleys can also absorb slight shock loads that happen when the air conditioner cuts on and off. As a continuously rotating component, the pulley tensioner can give off some warning signs before failure.

Rust and Corrosion
The pulley tensioner sits exposed to the elements at the front end of the engine. Put through puddled water “splash-up,” with time the tensioner arm and pulley system can rust. Corrosion can freeze the programmed tensioner device or corrode the shaft bearings, that may cause a frozen position in the adjustment pressure. Without the proper tension, the belt can slip.
Debris Contamination
Rocks, gravel and other road debris could be thrown up into the tensioner pulley grooves and jam the mechanism. This can allow the serpentine belt to slip on the tensioner pulley and burn off. Overheated pulley heat range results, and eventually the serpentine belt will melt and snap off.
Pulley Tensioner Spring
The pulley tensioner spring in the housing may become weak from age and repeated exposure to heat. This causes the belt to flutter and skip rather than maintaining a constant strain on the pulley. Symptoms of a fragile spring present as glazing on the lower of the serpentine belt, with an intermittent flickering of the dashboard’s charging mild indicator. Squealing or squeaking will become read at the belt location.
Pulley Wobble
If the tensioner pulley wobbles on its shaft, it means the interior shaft bearings have worn. This may cause a pulley misalignment. Terrible bearings trigger an audible growling sound. The outer ends of the serpentine belt will fray and extend the belt. Ultimately the rubberized belt grooves flatten out and trigger key slippage. An excessively wobbling pulley can throw the belt off, creating all the gadgets to quit functioning.
Lever Arm Freeplay
Some tensioner pulleys possess markings on the housing that indicate the utmost selection that the pulley can travel. If the lever arm of the tensioner rides under or higher the designated mark, it indicates a stretched belt or a lever arm which has jammed in one position.
Pulley Misaligment
The tensioner pulley face must match up to the other accessory pulleys with a parallel alignment. Placing an extended, straightedge ruler against the face of the tensioner pulley, and flushing it against another item pulley, can measure the angle. Any off-angle measurement indicates put on shaft bearings in the pulley casing.
Serpentine Belt Noise
A moderately donned serpentine belt gives off a constant squeaking noises during engine idle. Belts which have worn severely job a loud chirping or squealing sound. The cause factors to a glazed, worn or cracked belt. Dry or partially frozen tensioner pulley bearings could cause such sounds by wearing out the belt prematurely.
Lever Arm Oscillation
A lever arm that repeatedly oscillates back and forth during idle or higher speeds means the the within damper mechanism in the tensioner pulley has weakened or broken. This triggers sporadic tension pressure on the belt and will manifest itself with intermittent chirping sounds.