987 Tensioner pulley problem!

Hello, The head of the bolt on the back of my tensioner pulley is in bad shape. I can't get a good hold of it. Any suggestions or solutions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

More info - I was able to break it loose at first. Then I continued to try to remove it, but the bolt was getting gnawed (unbeknownst to me). I was going to just put the belt back on, but the bolt turns so I can't put any force on the tensioner. The other two pulleys were no problem.

Hi - I think we need a bit more info than you've provided. What year 987 and what engine? The .2 engines use an entirely different tensioner design than the .1 engines (and 1 less idler).. Please review: https://www.planet-9.com/threads/before-posting-a-technical-question-read-this.253613/ And it's not quite clear to me (it's probably just me..) what you're describing in your second post. It broke loose? Then it was getting gnawed? What does gnawed consist of? It's not a common term used by mechanics. Chewed up? By what? Was it binding in the threaded hole? We need a lot more info -

Ok. It is a 987.1 . I put a 15mm wrench on the backside of the the pulley to hold the bolt while turning the front. It broke loose, but now the bolt is just turning within the pulley. I’m unable to loosen or tighten it back up because of the damage to the rear bolt head. I was replacing all of the pulleys and so I do have a new one. I’m going to try again tomorrow after letting it soak in liquid wrench overnight. My confidence that it will work is getting low.

It is the 3.2l S.

Is this pully on a pivoting arm? If so - consider removing the arm so you can work on it outside the engine compartment with better access. I'm not familiar with all the serpentine belt configurations on a 3.2L engine. When you refer the "the rear bolt head" - normally a bolt goes into a threaded hole, perhaps in the mounting point for a pulley, perhaps into a nut on the back of a mount for the pulley. There aren't bolts on both sides. Any chance of photos of the suspect area? Before posting any here - please read: https://www.planet-9.com/threads/posting-photos-in-posts-to-planet-9.253974/ Photos will help immensely in understanding what your issue is.

It is on a pivoting arm. This situation may require that I replace the actual tensioner. This would enable me to get the assembly out of the car And do it right. I haven’t been able to find detailed instructions on this process. based on what I can find it is going to be involved.

To give us a headstart on the components at issue, maybe you can provide the item numbers from the PET image below. If indeed if you are talking about roller #8, which goes thru the L shaped rod #3 and terminates in #2, it will indeed be a bugger to get those parts out working with the engine in the car. I'm not going to say it can't be done but of course there is a lot of stuff in the way.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what the issue is. I’ve read that it can be done in the car, but it is no fun. I don’t think I have any alternative at this point. So far I haven’t been able to find any good step by step instructions.

I’m even considering having it towed to the local Porsche shop, but I know that will be big $. I going to call them tomorrow just to see.

Since it seems like the 15mm bolt head is shot, can you get a pair of vise grip pliers on it? If you can’t, if you have an oscillating saw, maybe you could cut the bolt head off. My oscillating saw blade can be rotated so that it might be possible to get access to the rear of the bolt. Replacing the bolt and nut would be required, it may even come with the new tensioner pulley. There is a video on YouTube from Pelican Parts where the mechanic is replacing the tensioner and idler pulleys and the kit came with a new tensioner and nut and bolt, but he only replaced the pulley, but not the tensioner because it was in working condition and he implied that replacing the actual tensioner arm is a beast.

If it were me, in the condition you desribe, I would: 1. Soak it in penentrant. Get vicegrips on the backside (the bolt head). Use an impact socket and impact wrench on the "nut" which is of course a part of the pulley. You may have to "dress" the nut with a file if you've raised some edges. The impact socket needs to be a six point socket. 2. If that fails, I would use a die grinder with a wafer disc to cut the entire pulley in half. This is a deviation to a tool called a nut cracker, which does the same thing, it splits nuts in half. If all you want to do is get the pulley off, there is nothing " Porsche " about the job. It's just a stuck fastener. If you read 1 and 2 above to a mechanic and he nods his head yes, that is your guy. And there are other tricks. Just make sure they understand that they cannot destroy item #3 in the process.

Thanks for the responses. When I was trying to get the pulley off, I was putting a lot of force on the arm and assembly. It looks like I damaged the tension because the pully is now closer to the power steering pump pulley. I hope that I'm wrong and when I can get a hold on the pulley maybe I can correct. I'm all about avoiding the involved task of replacing the tensioner.

Just to try to get this clear in my head... Red is the idler you want to replace? Blue is the buggered bolt? Orange is the tensioner that puts twisting force on arm #3? And you think you've bent arm #3? My what an overly complex assembly. Happy the 9A1 engine greatly simplified the idler/tensioner design.

I think the tensioner is damaged. Maybe the arm is too. I’m not sure right now. Either way, I have to get it out.

If it were me, I would test fit the serepentine belt on what you have. You may be mis-remembering the position of the pieces. If the belt "falls onto the pulley" then indeed you have a problem. But if it will only go on by rotating the pulley on the arm against the spring tension, you should be good.

I would love to be able to do that. The arm has swung to the right and is very close to the power steering pulley. I was able to break the nut loose from the bolt so now it spins on the shaft and I can't get any pressure on it. Not looking good. I have a call tomorrow with a Porsche mechanic. It should be fun to hear what they would charge to do the labor.

Are there any pitfalls/ surprises that I need to be aware of if I end up doing this job myself?

Well, to be brutally honest, getting the tensioner item #2 out would require removing the manifolds to gain access, which to my eyes would best be accomplished by dropping the engine first.

Based on your past experience, this might be something best left to a pro. Just sayin' - sometimes a man's gotta know his limitations (mine are getting more and more limited as I age.. arthritis does that to you..) Someone with experience doing it likely knows the tricks and shortcuts and how to approach it. You're pretty much flying blind - no manual - no YouTube video - no DIY here... so you'd be going into pioneer territory without any assistance (besides us cheering you on..) Question - if you grab it - can you rotate the arm back to the position it used to be in (against some spring force would be normal..)?

Be advised you might need some temperance when you meet with any professional. THE number one thing a professional wrench hates more than anything is wrenching after the owner wrenched first.

I did try to move the arm back. It’s stuck or requires much more force than I’ve got. I am taking it to the dealer. The going rate is 5.25 hours of labor. That comes out to a little over $1k.

I know that you are gutted that you were trying to do a simple maintenance task and got gob smacked by the stuck bolt/nut. It has happened to all of us. Let us know how it works out.

Absolutely. I just watched a video of a complete 987 engine tear down. The early parts of it showed the disassembly of the parts required to get to the belt tensioner. Not too bad. Pretty straightforward. However, it was out of the car. 😆

I suspect every mechanic has a "decision point" as to when a job could be done faster if the engine is dropped. And there are of course some jobs where dropping the engine is mandatory. I rebuilt my engine and it was basically complete before I put it back into the car. I know where all the bolts and such are now but it would not be a good task to do as your first in-depth job, with the engine installed. Please ask the dealership whether they are going to need to pull the engine. Based on 5.25 hours, I suspect not. Some Ferrari owners seem to take pride in the fact that a major service is an "engine out" event.

The job can be done with the engine in the car. It’s going to be a tight for sure.

The engine drop shouldn't be all that expensive, and imagine all the good stuff you could do while it's out. One of my local mechanics will do the IMS bearing replacement for around $1,000 (+parts) including a clutch and rear main seal. So look at this as an excuse to do the "while it's out.." sort of things that add up to a lot of money, but way less than if you had to do them later (clutch, RMS, IMS , etc.) since most of the labor is already covered with the other job.