ATI belt tensioner.....
05-21-2004, 04:46 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: sea. wa. USA
Posts: 80
ATI belt tensioner.....
So what's the deal with these things? I'm having a rough time with this pot metal piece of crap!
How tight should the belt be when properly tensioned?
I now have to drill and tap a new hole on the back of the tensioner.....
Is there supposed to be anything else besides the bolt thru the "loop" on the tensioner adjuster to the back of the tensioner?
I ended up with the bolt "pulling" out of the back of the tensioner...I bought this kit used, and there has been several items missing. I put in a spacer so it would align vertically (threaded tensioner adjuster) with the upper "loop" where the locknut is....Just doesn't seem right.
Help please, this is all i have left before firing it up.....
Oh yeah....what happens if you throw a belt? will the car run with no belt turning the supercharger?....I have been wondering....
Thanks
How tight should the belt be when properly tensioned?
I now have to drill and tap a new hole on the back of the tensioner.....
Is there supposed to be anything else besides the bolt thru the "loop" on the tensioner adjuster to the back of the tensioner?
I ended up with the bolt "pulling" out of the back of the tensioner...I bought this kit used, and there has been several items missing. I put in a spacer so it would align vertically (threaded tensioner adjuster) with the upper "loop" where the locknut is....Just doesn't seem right.
Help please, this is all i have left before firing it up.....
Oh yeah....what happens if you throw a belt? will the car run with no belt turning the supercharger?....I have been wondering....
Thanks
05-23-2004, 01:43 AM
#6
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Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: Ft.Worth,TX USA
Posts: 90
05-24-2004, 08:31 AM
#7
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Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Rochester Hills, MI
Posts: 2,784
05-24-2004, 01:51 PM
#9
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Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Rochester Hills, MI
Posts: 2,784
Originally posted by MEAN LT1
I had no idea these things were 500+ dollors. Geez.......I kwo they work and all but man, they could be a little cheaper.
I had no idea these things were 500+ dollors. Geez.......I kwo they work and all but man, they could be a little cheaper.
05-24-2004, 03:39 PM
#10
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Seacoast, N.H.
Posts: 1,104
Originally posted by MEAN LT1
I had no idea these things were 500+ dollors. Geez.......I kwo they work and all but man, they could be a little cheaper.
I had no idea these things were 500+ dollors. Geez.......I kwo they work and all but man, they could be a little cheaper.
Actually, it was a little more for me but I brought my car to SDCE and had them do it on the car and let's jus say it was some of the best money I've spent on this project.
Marc
05-24-2004, 09:47 PM
#11
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: cleve, oh
Posts: 163
the tensioner on the ati actually disassembles, take the roller assembly off and you will see it has 3 holes on the back. you can now take the nut holding the 2 pieces together off. be careful it is spring loaded. when you put it together just rotate it 120 degrees this will give you another hole. if all the holes are stipped then heilicoil the holes this will make them steel lined not aluminium.
05-25-2004, 08:07 PM
#14
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: New Bern, NC USA
Posts: 1,234
Re: ATI belt tensioner.....
I bought my kit used as well and was missing some things too. I assume there is supposed to be a bolt through the hole in the middle of the tensioner. Plus you have the bolt that is used to adjust it coming through the bracket as well.
According to the instructions, you will tighten the adjuster until the mark on the 1/2 lines up with the second mark on the other half(not sure which half of adjuster has the one mark).
I am sure that the engineer at ATI was just defending his company but he told me that there is nothing wrong with the ATI tensioners. Thrown belts are a result of pulley misalignment.
If anyone knows why the tensioner is at fault, please say. I am curious.
I had to make a custom bracket for my setup which moves the whole blower to the top of the car and so I had to order a custom belt. 55 inches long. A gates belt only cost me 28 bucks. Sorry to hear about the 75 dollar belts.
According to the instructions, you will tighten the adjuster until the mark on the 1/2 lines up with the second mark on the other half(not sure which half of adjuster has the one mark).
I am sure that the engineer at ATI was just defending his company but he told me that there is nothing wrong with the ATI tensioners. Thrown belts are a result of pulley misalignment.
If anyone knows why the tensioner is at fault, please say. I am curious.
I had to make a custom bracket for my setup which moves the whole blower to the top of the car and so I had to order a custom belt. 55 inches long. A gates belt only cost me 28 bucks. Sorry to hear about the 75 dollar belts.
06-06-2004, 09:18 PM
#15
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Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Crowded SW Florida
Posts: 320
I was going to start a new thread about this, but I'll throw in my .02 on this here since I'm installing my used P600B. I agree the SDCE is the best setup, but I need that $500 for some 55# injectors 
(Racetronix is out of stock 
). I did some research on this, and bought a F**d tensioner off of a 1986-93 M*s*ang with the 5.0 ($60 at Rock Auto). It is close to the dimensions of the ATI unit (which I did not care for once I looked it over), and both use a 1/2" bolt to hold them in place.
The first problem is the F**d unit has tension in the wrong direction.
Reverse tension solution
The second problem is the nipple that holds the unit in place will not fit in the ATI tension slot- this is not really a problem, as it is easy to file a half-moon depression in the ATI groove once you decide where you want the nipple to go.
The next problem is the pulley is not aligned properly. I decided the ATI pulley could be used (the internal diameter is the same on both units ) if the F**d piece had the end trimmed down so the ATI pulley would clear it. This was easily done with a hacksaw & bench grinder. I then reused the F**d bolt (right hand threads) with a 1/2" washer under the head so the pulley would spin freely. The ATI spacer could be used here if it was cut down to fit. The piece on the F**d tensioner is the same diameter as the ATI insert, so the pulley slides right on, but is not supported over the entire length of the bearing. Fitting the ATI insert should eliminate this concern.
So far, so good, but I'm waiting on some crank pulley bolts to see how it all fits together.
I'll be shooting some pics on this soon and will put them on my TA website for reference.
(Racetronix is out of stock ). I did some research on this, and bought a F**d tensioner off of a 1986-93 M*s*ang with the 5.0 ($60 at Rock Auto). It is close to the dimensions of the ATI unit (which I did not care for once I looked it over), and both use a 1/2" bolt to hold them in place. The first problem is the F**d unit has tension in the wrong direction.
Reverse tension solution
The second problem is the nipple that holds the unit in place will not fit in the ATI tension slot- this is not really a problem, as it is easy to file a half-moon depression in the ATI groove once you decide where you want the nipple to go.
The next problem is the pulley is not aligned properly. I decided the ATI pulley could be used (the internal diameter is the same on both units
) if the F**d piece had the end trimmed down so the ATI pulley would clear it. This was easily done with a hacksaw & bench grinder. I then reused the F**d bolt (right hand threads) with a 1/2" washer under the head so the pulley would spin freely. The ATI spacer could be used here if it was cut down to fit. The piece on the F**d tensioner is the same diameter as the ATI insert, so the pulley slides right on, but is not supported over the entire length of the bearing. Fitting the ATI insert should eliminate this concern.So far, so good, but I'm waiting on some crank pulley bolts to see how it all fits together.
I'll be shooting some pics on this soon and will put them on my TA website for reference.
Last edited by Live for TAs; 06-06-2004 at 09:29 PM.