Serpentine belt recommendation - 2003 986(S)

[jeeper31]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

If the pulley bearings are worn ,or the pullies misaligned ,any brand of belt will fail prematurely.
One gotcha doing this job is the nut behind the tensioner pulley rotating when you try to fit the new belt. Fix this issue before you try to install the new belt. Otherwise you will have extreme difficulty fitting the new belt because it ill be impossible to move the tensioner pulley sufficiently to get the new belt over the pullies.
Use a straightedge to check alignment of the pullies. On mine the a/c pulley was forward of all the rest.

How do you fix this problem? Is it just a matter of tightening it up?

Thanks

[Gelbster]

Duplicate deleted

[Gelbster]

This issue was written up in a link I posted elsewhere.
The short version is that when you use the correct tool to relieve tension on the belt, make sure the fastener on the tensioner pulley is not slipping. If it is, plan on a much bigger job.
The bolt head behind the tensioner pulley is inaccessible with regular wrench. Someone may have a modified one?
Logically you need to remove the entire tensioner pulley assembly - tighten it up while you have it on the bench. Before you do all that, check the condition of the bearing.If in doubt, replace the entire assy. Pelican make it sound easy.The problems arise with older,rusty,hacked cars.
"The tensioner pulley is a little bit different. It is attached to a spring-loaded arm via a single bolt that is backwards in orientation from the other two idler pulleys. You need to get a 15mm wrench on the head of the bolt behind the pulley and then loosen the pulley with a 24mm wrench on the front. Be careful not to drop the spacer located behind the pulley when you pull it off. Reinstall the new pulley in the same manner, using a small bead of blue Loctite 242. Tighten the assembly to 44 ft-lb (60 Nm)."
Porsche Boxster Idler Belt Pulley Replacement - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article
The take home is - do all the checks to understand if this is a quick/no problems job or not - before you remove the belt !
The new belt will be much stiffer and requires full motion on the tensioner arm.Anything less and you will fail to install the new belt - not good !You may need both hands to manipulate the belt and a third hand to hold the tool on the tensioner. I found the Premium Gates belt was very stiff and difficult to install compared to Conti.
Good luck
This may help- it is not a new problem:
http://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/564327-belt-tensioner-doesn-t-move.html