bryanja7

Hey all just finished my t belt on my d16 y8 civic . When I first tensioned belt it had no slack and whined like an ex girlfriend lol. That was from barely pushing on tensioner with a screwdriver way too tight So I loosened the tensioner and turned crank about 3 teeth and its better car is running good but belt has about half inch of slack is that too much? Should I back in and reset tension or is this normal. Thanks for any help I have searched forums but everyone seems to say something different.

NVturbo

You should have replaced the belt tensioner while you were in process. Just keep an eye on the belt to see if the tension gets worse.

bryanja7

Forgot to mention I did replace tensioner and water pump as well i rechecked after driving and tension seems the same

p3p69

i have a d16z6 mine has close to that much play and its been fine

Black R

IMO, no slack when warm.

Retension it.

strategy400

The trick is too have your tensioner bolt loosened the proper amount when setting tension (i.e. - just enough to let it slide with near zero friction). Also, a clean block surface where the tensioner slides on the block, the back of the tensioner is clean, a slight amount of lube on the back of the tensioner. The tensioner has to move like butter. Do the 3 tooth procedure and snug it up. Then rotate the engine a few times by hand to get the belt to center up on the pulleys. Then carefully loosen tensioner and do the 3 tooth procedure again. Torque to spec. Done.

bryanja7

thanks strategy nice explanation. and thanks to all who responded so here is the end of the story. I went back in to check the belt and thank god and you guys I did because it was pretty loose like I could just about pull belt off the cam gear by hand.. scary. I had to do the procedure like3 or 4 times to get the tension just right(no whine and banjo tight) now car is running great belt has very minor deflection on long side when revving (before it was flapping all over on both sides) I am amazed I didn't skip a tooth though when I saw how much looser the belt was . again thanks guys

crazyhouse2011

My belt would flap in the cold illinois winters until it warmed up. Then there would be just a little play