is a belt tensioner really that necessary?

[brainycheddar]

I just bought a 15% supercharger pulley reduction from minimania, along with a pulley removal tool rental, however I didn't feel it was necessary at the time to purchase the belt tensioner tool.

so my question is this, the bentley service manual of course suggests the BMW branded tool, is there any other way to do this, or should I just fabricate something to add leverage to pull the tensioner away from the belt, and a pin to keep the tensioner in place while I do the pulley swap. If I get dimensions needed I can build something by the time the parts arrive.

to un-obfuscate things even more, does anyone have specs for tension tool to so I can weld one up, or how else can I get the belt safely off while I'm working on that sweet little M45?

[DaFlake]

Yes!

You probably could fashion a tool that would work, but the detensioner tool lets you take the pressure off the belt so that you can remove it. It is also needed when you want to change the belt, so it is not a bad tool to have around.

Here is one made by Ultrik

ULTRIK BELT TENSIONER TOOL - MINI COOPER S 2002-2006

Here is one that Randy Webb fashioned. You might try contacting him for measurements.

[k-huevo]

I have the OEM tool with added welds for reinforcement; it is well worth the moderate cost Cooper S Belt Tensioner Tool*::*induction*::*speed*::*02-06 Cooper S*::*MINI Cooper Accessories : MINI Cooper Parts : OutMotoring . Keep in mind maintenance belt changes will be performed without raising the motor so the narrow OEM tool is convenient for this task; BTW belt change intervals will be far more frequent than the suggested 50,000 miles.

In a pinch I have used a metal stake with a mushroomed head on the tensioner arm and the other end on a hydraulic jack positioned at an angle; with the motor raised, I’ve used a 3 ft section of the material used to fasten electrical conduit to walls and suspend from ceilings. Both times I would have been willing to pay twice the price for the proper tool rather than dealing with the work around.

[brainycheddar]

ok, I can get the measurements off my tensioner and weld upa quick one for now, and for future use, I'll use the measurements to machine a nice flat one. thanks for your help, BTW does anything special happen at the 80K mile interval, or is it just a standard fluids change? I've usually taken my car to the dealer in the past, but it's usually a 1 hour ride one way, and they hold onto the car for a couple days, rather inconvenient, and if it's just an ordinary run of the mill service, it'd just save me lots f time and money to do it myself, so I'm not driving a deathtrap for a couple of days while my MINI get it's brakes bled.

[P33 ULC]

I just done mine tonight and the answer is...............nope, dont need one. We just used a Mag tools bar and put the wee allen key in the 2nd hole. Easy done!!

[DaFlake]

As I mentioned above, you probably could fashion something to do the job, but if you are not careful, you can either bend something or nick the belt. My advice is to still invest in the tool. It is only 95 USD. I bought one and lent it to friends and it has more than paid off in beer.

[brainycheddar]

ok, I did the pulley last saturday, everything went smooth and after fidgeting for abot 5 minutes, we place a pry bar to the tensioner with it wedged against a block of wood against the frame, and it worked smoothly, with the tensioner out of the way I got the measurments so now I can start writing the G-code for one. BTW, I think that the pulley was totally worth every cent... so far...

[Dave Elliott]

I'm fairly sure the Haynes manual has a drawing of the belt pulley tool. I think there are even dimensions given. Sorry, I have mislaid my copy, perhaps someone can confirm?

Cheers,

Dave