belt tensioner problems

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Attempted to change the idler pulley and belt tensioner assembly today on the F250 in sig, idler went on without a hiccup, I had to use a breaker bar to loosen the bolt on the tensioner, and after it was loose it wasnt smooth coming out. Looks to be the original tensioner with 243,xxx miles on it, it has stamped Ford on it. They had an o ring on the bolt, I took it off, put the bolt through the new tensioner and put the o-ring back on the bolt. I made sure to have the tabs on the back of the tensioner lined up, bolt not cross threaded, and the bolt threaded in but it kept taking forever to tighten up with a ratchet. I decided to pull it back off, the o-ring was broken, must be brittle after 20 years. I noticed a few threads on the bolt were chewed up. Is it possible I could have messed up the threads on the bolt when I broke it loose initially? Its a steel bolt going into an aluminum bracket so I'm hoping I didnt mess up the aluminum threads. Should I get a new OEM bolt or a bolt from the hardware store and try again? If that doesnt work, I'm assuming I'll have to pull the bracket off and put a helicoil in it, or worse case scenario, replace the whole bracket. Any ideas guys? This is a truck that I dont want to put a ton of money into.
 
Originally Posted by mobilaltima
...it kept taking forever to tighten up with a ratchet. I decided to pull it back off, the o-ring was broken, must be brittle after 20 years. I noticed a few threads on the bolt were chewed up.


If your description is accurate, and it was taking "forever" to tighten, you stripped the aluminum threads completely. Are you sure the chewed up threads on the bolt aren't just aluminum thread shards seized to the bolt? It's been awhile since I changed the tensioner in my 7.3 and I don't remember the o-ring or any other issues, it was pretty straightforward. Your best bet might be a wrecking yard bracket.

One important aspect of keeping Powerstrokes running reliably is always use Motorcraft parts when replacing engine sensors and accessories. Dorman stuff doesn't last long and there are places like Rockauto where the Motorcraft stuff isn't too expensive.
 
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