Ive done the timing belt/water pump/tensioner replacement on a b18b when the motor was out of the car. i now have a new car(93 hatch w/b18c1) and the belt seems a little loose. How difficult is it to swap out the old tensioner for a new one with the motor in the car? is it laid out in the helms manual what to do(in car)? it also has AC.

 

advice/info/help?

 

If you think your belt is too loose, rotate the timing belt CCW a few teeth and check the tension on the front and top sides of the belt. The top should have no more than a .25" of deflection...should feel pretty firm.

The front should have about 1" of deflection in the center. I usually don't make too big of a deal out of it b/c if you follow the procedures correctly, it should tension just fine.

The timing belt tensioner really doesn't have much to do with how much it tensions the belt...it's the tensioner spring that does the work. The tensioner is really just a roller bearing.

 

thanks. ill check that. 1" on the side? really? i think mine is about 1 on the side, and its usually fairly tight on the other, i havent checked the top though. its just that when its running it seems like that slack bounces around(back and forth ).

 

I've never cared to see what they look like when they're running right, but as long as it doesn't make any loud slapping/flopping noises, then it should be just fine.