All right I have read almost everything I can find regarding the differences between the hydraulic tensioner on the 1rst gens and then the final revised edition on the lastcouple years of neons. I understand that the newer version mechanical one is supposed to fit my SOHC '96 model with the exception of drilling out the rear plastic timing cover to make clearance... but what I want to know is about reliablility. It should be a helluva alot easier to install the later mech one than the hydraulic one butis itjust as good. In all the research I have come to understand the mechanical ones in between were not, so has anyone changed over to the newer one?

After changing the t-belt and tesioner on my old 92 eclipse, which was a pain to get the tensioner and cams lined up right the frist time, I would rather try the newer tensioner since the place my girfriend took the neon to when it was hers 2 years ago, didnt change out the pulley and now it rattling pretty good and I know its onlya matter of time before disaster strikes and that will be the least of my troubles.

 

I have yet to hear about the hydraluic (sp) tensioner (its late lol...)

But if they are of same quality and the hydro. one is tougher to install, why not go with the mechanical one? Why make like difficult, with the possiblilty of messing it up. Im not bashing on your skills, but if the mech. is a bolt right up, why not do it? Less chance of screwing something up.

I would personally use the mechanical one, have yet to see one fail, and it is plug and play.

Best of luck.

 

Pretty much when I did mine my brother helped me put it on and having his extra set of hands totally made the difference.

With the Hydraulic one they want you so put it in a vice and compress it then take a pin and lock it in the closed position via a small hole on one end. Then once tensioner is in place remove the pin and it will automatically tension the belt.

Well I couldn't find a vice so we strong armed that belt tensionerinto place...lol I remember using a tire iron to pry up on the bottom of thetensioner till my brother decided it felt tensioned up to spec then he told me to hold thebreaker bar up till he got the bolts in. I forgot the exact process we used but it went quick with both of us smacking the bitch.

The tensioner wheel bearing they say goes out at 90,000 miles, at 124,000 miles my tensioner was like fkn brand new! spun excellent.

 

it will be me all by myself and like alot of others here on the board, I got big hands and big arms. So there isnt going to be alot of room left over for another pair of hands to begin with. And I know the process required for the tensioner assembly... thats one reason why I am curious about anyones experience with the newer mechanical one vs. going back with the original hydraulic pain in the *** one.

 

If you have access to a vice and a pin assembling the tensioner is actually quite easy, its when you don't that you have to get creative.

I remember when me and my brother did that on my car, I had to go through the top and hold the breaker bar while he was in the wheel well putting the bolts in.

 

I have a vice and all and like I said I did the same procedure on my old 1992 Eclipse, but I would rather avoid the entire hydraulic tensioner install especially if it is not only easier to install the newer mechanical tensioner and just as or more reliable than to begin with. I just got an AEM cam gear and fixing to byan underdrive pulley and since I will be all in there to begin with I figure I might as well do everything all at one time.

Of course the eclipse was a DOHC so it was more of a pain when the tensioner put the pressure on the belt to make sure the timing marks stayed lined up. I think after 2 times I ended up chasing down a Matco truck and bought a tool to hold the cam gars in place to help avoid that trouble again. I am sure that I wont have the same trouble with the SOHC but anything that makes my life easier is the route I am going to take.

 

My `95Neon has a nasty rattlefrom idle toabout 1500 rpm, think would this be the tensioner going out? Weird part isthe noisegoes away at higher rpm's.

 

Probly is... at first I only noticed it when I stepped on the gas at lower rpm's... I hunted for the noise couldnt figure out what it was for awhile. Then when it got colder in the mornings the noise would stick around long enough for me to hear it without having to rev the motor or with a load and I could tell it was coming from the timing belt area. SO I figured that the people that my girlfriend had taken the car to to get the tbelt replaced didnt in fact actually do what they were supposed to and change the tensioner out... gee go figure! And so that being the case it has gotten more and more noticeable over the last year. I dont really drive it that much but I know its going to sieze up on me eventually and then all hell will break loose and who knows what crap it will break then. I am probly going to park it for awhile until I get around to replacing it.. but I have gotten little to no feedback here about the newer vs. older tensioner. I will probly go ahead and put the newer one on it anyway just because it appears to be easier to mess with and I prefer to work on my motors alone. That way there is only one person to blame when something fks up.