belt tensioner
 

wats up guys jus jus got a 2001 neon se in hopes of going srt soon but 4 now need this **** running i jus wanted 2 kno do i hav 2 drop the motor 2 get 2 the tensioner please help!

Are you taking the tensioner off, or just taking the belt off? To slack the tension, you can get to it without dropping the motor. Just stick a pry bar down there and press against the tensioner to reduce tension. Belt comes off easy enough. Taking it off, I'm not so sure. Haven't had to do that, myself.

Now that it's in English: no, you don't have to drop the engine to change a belt, or to get to the belt tensioner.

how would i take off the tensioner theres so little room from the frame to where the tensioner is its just a bad problem 2 have

I pushed a crowbar on it and pushed? Worked fine for me. Are you trying to replace the belts, or the tensioner? I suppose that information would be beneficial to know to tell you for certain.

You use a pry bar to loosen the tension to change the belt. To remove the tensioner, you have to remove the engine mount bracket (the upside down u-shaped piece that the upper torque strut mounts to) and then undo the tensioner bolt. Something around 17MM I think. Using a wrench would be your best bet for clearance. Since you will be loosening/removing a torque strut, the realign procedure will need to be performed as well.

2005 se belt questions
 

I have a 2005 with under 60k on it and I am wondering about the drive belt.. its scheduled maintenance to change the drive belt at 60k .. do i need to replace the tensioner as well? do I need to replace it if its not too worn or cracked?? and what brand of belt do you recommend if I do need to change it. thank you for your help!

No, you only need to change the tensioner when it goes bad. As for it not being too worn or cracked, up to you. I don't want to be stuck somewhere for hours because I didn't want to spend the 20 minutes to change the belt. I changed the serpentine belt on my other car simply because it was older. It wasn't "bad," but it was just getting old and was a bit worn. You know, small wear cracks along the ribs of the belt, but nothing major. I stick with Goodyear Gatorback belts. Good stuff.

i ended up replacing the whole side bracket assebly took me about 4 hours and it was a PITA.