Belt Tensioner Pivot Bolt Snapped!!

[bsteveo]

Hi all

So today I changed my drive belt/tensioner assembly. All went smooth and well until I took the fan and shroud off and thought "hey, now that I have all this extra room, I can torque up the pivot bolts properly". That is where I f'ed up. Turns out the recommended torque of 68-77 nm is for the bottom (17mm hex head) bolt only. The smaller (12mm head) top one, must be much less and I must have misinterpreted because attempting to torque it up the same made it snap! However, having already got the tensioner assembly and belt on at this stage, the whole mechanism feels fairly tight and secure, shaking the tensioner assembly didn't show me any signs of the top part where bolt is snapped moving. So obviously at some point id like to pull it all apart, and possibly drill the bolt out/re-tap the hole for a new bolt, but should it be okay for now? Car is running as normal and sounds better now with the new belt and assembly.\

Cheers

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[mudski]

I wouldn't be driving it if it were me. If the tensioner does happen to slip off the broken bolt you will loose the belt and also power steering, alternator and cooling capabilities.

[mudnut]

As for leaving it, moisture may enter the thread and make it that much harder to remove the broken piece. Do it now and it just might unscrew with a pair of pliers.

[stevemc181]

I wouldn't be driving it anywhere like that! The risk of being stranded is too great! It shouldn't be too difficult to get under there and remove it again, hopefully you have enough bolt sticking through to grab a hold of it with some vice grips or pliers as mentioned above.

[Fireblade]

yeah dont drive it, fix it now. other wise when it fails you'll have even more costs. and you'll always have this thing in your mind nagging you.

[Dagwill]

I had to remove that bracket before i removed the timing gear cover
Theres 2 or 3 bolts that are very hard to get to . One that took me 1/2 hr to get out and skun knuckles and 1/2 hr to get back in.
If you can possibly do it in situ I definatly would

[bsteveo]

Sorry for the late reply fellas I ended up fixing it right away. Pulled the whole assembly apart again and the rest of the broken bolt just unscrewed by hand. Found a suitable replacement bolt and is all good now.

Thanks all for the input.