i wonder if i should use loctite on the tensioner bolt? yesterday i got a good scare because my belt was loose. it was skipping and slapping the cover which sounded like a nut was rattling around. i retensioned it accordingly and all is well. hopefully i didnt bend a valve.

tensioner bolt calls for 33lb-ft but it seemed to just twist so i lowered it to 25lb and it just clicked. block is a 1990 so i assume the threads have been under fatigue or overtorqued by someone. i know i should use a new bolt, but since the block is softer being aluminum, it would strip its thread before the bolt does. so i was thinking get a new bolt and add a tiny bit of loctite and be done with it? i dont plan on doing any cam changes for a while..

did the tensioner bolt loosen up? or did it stay tight and the tensioner itself move?

you might need a new idler pully

the pulley is fine, its the bolt that won't torque all the way. today i tried it again at 33, it kept turning a lot, so i lowered it to 30 and it clicked. so im assuming its somewhere around 35-40lb or its just starting to strip.

why would i need a new pulley? it turns fine, its just the bolt not holding it in place im worried about.