When the '96 was under warranty, the dealer replaced the tensioner. It is some aftermarket piece ## ####. The pulley looks out of line to me, so I'm replacing the whole thing.

I searched and didn't find too much, even the FSM doesn't have a lot.

It looks like I have to drain the coolant. Release the belt. Remove the alternator. Unhitch the coolant lines, and a few bolts. And it should come out.

I usually do "ready, fire, aim" with repairs. :? So, is there anything else to it? Or anything that has to be done to set the tension?

Thanks.

Thats about it. You should replace the plastic coolant bypass elbow while you are at it too.

FYI..... follow up... that aftermarket tensioner was a terrible piece of engineering. The part of the bracket which held the pulley was warped. There were metal shavings in the taps on the assembly when I pulled the bolts. Including the pulley bolt.

These posers are easy to recognize, they have white centers (instead of black) with no tension markings like the OEM. I checked, and my local Advance has them. I would beware of them. FWIW, the NAPA piece I got was fine and it had the metal pulley instead of the plastic/rubber one. This is not the kind of part I, personally, would boneyard, so I paid the freight.

Another positive outcome of a good tensioner was that it also cured the ubiquitous hint of power steering pump "whirr".