Hi, I just bought a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager & the belt is squealing like crazy. I changed both pully's & that didn't fix it so I figure it must be the tensioner assembly. Well how do you change this? Is it as easy as it looks? I just bought a new one & all it has is a single bolt on the backthat threadson. How do you get the old one off. Please help asap as this noise is driving me nuts... Thanx

Oh yeah the motor is a 3.0L V6

 

Yes!! It is easy!!! Take off the tensioner pully bolt, take the pully off and then take the tensioner assembly bolt.

 

Is there a nut on the back side of the motor that holds the tensioner? I suppose I have to get that from underneath?

 

It is from underneath, not too hard to get to. Good Luck.

 

Are you sure about it being a 3.0 liter? That's the Mitsu engine, and I thought that the Grand Voyager only had a 3.3 or 3.8 available.

BTW, I really hope you manage to get rid of the squeal---my '97 GC with 3.3L is squealing like mad as well, and i cannot figure out how to get at the tensioner without major heroics. Let us all know how you did it!

Matthew

 

OK well here is what I have done so far. I bought a new tensioner pulley & put that on, didn't fix it! So I put the old pulley back on & put the new pulley on the idler & that didn't fix it, so I knew my pulleys were good. So then I thought if it's not the pulleys then it has to be the tensioner! So I started to try to change it today. I couldn't get to it from the bottom so I removed the wiper cowl & boy did that make things easy!!! Only took about 10 minutes extra to remove that. It is also nice for changing those hard to reach rear spark plugs.... I can do a write up of the cowl removal with pics if it would help others out.

I used a 15mm socket, a swivel & a long extension to loosen the nut on the back of the tensionerfrom the top side & i didn't even have totwist myself into a pretzel just to get to it. I ain't no small fry either LOL!!!Well I got it changed & started the van up & wow it was so nice & quiet, but then as I was getting ready to shut my van off it starts squealing again... $#$%*

So anyways that tells me that my tensioner isn't bad, so I tear it back apart & put my old stuff back on. I had previously taken off the A/C belt to rule out that pulley, & thought well the only other one would be theharmonic balancer or the alternator pulley, well I got out the WD-40 & squirted the alternator pulley while it was running & guess what it quieted down, So I think I finally found my problem. Now I just needto see if they make a replacement pulley or if I need to buy a new alternator... I'll keep you informed.

Yes I'm sure it's a 3.0L thats what it says on the intake manifold & also on the sticker on the strut tower. My Grand Voyager must be a base model cause it only has a radio no cd, no tape, cloth interior &manual windows,

 

It is one bolt ....that is true....you access it from underneath. If you have a lift, maybe then i would classify this as "easy". You need a series of extensions and a wobble in there helps. The problem I found on my 97 was you can reach up and get your finger through the hole to find the stud for the nut rather easy.. Lie on the ground and try to thread your extensions and socket with the nut there.. It gets rather hard to see, but you can do it by feel once you know where you need to be. The one bit of advice I will give if you don't have someone to help and hold the new tensioner, jam a rag against the new one to hold it in the engine compartment while you push the nut on the stud. It is a do-able project , but "easy" i don't know.... I'd say it is almost as easy as the #1 spark plug. Good luck...it's either a 13 or 14 mm. socket.

 

Thanx for trying to help but I don't like working blind, I did this all with normal hand tools from the top so anyone could do it. Oh & how many people have a lift in their garage????I know I don't. I tried from underneath with my van on jackstands, but I'm about 260lbs & there is no way any part of me was fitting up there from under the van. The way I did itwas really quite easy. It's a little more work taking off the wipercowl, but it's 10X easier & you can use both hands & still see what you are doing...

 

idiot me....i missed that it was a 3.0.......the 3.3's are not accessible from the top side. Lucky you to be able to swap so easily. Is it possible it is your water pump?

 

if it still squeals it might be the timing belt tensioner mine has a mild squeal that i can live with till summer
its been like that for almost a year now and the guy's at the oil change place always say something about it and try to tell me there not responsible if the engine goes
ya if its not oil related