'05 Serpentine belt tensioner replacement

Gulf SV

Kevin Burns
After reading this thread, I am now officially concerned. I bought the serpentine belt kit from Europarts. It came with the Litens tensioner :thumbup:, two INA grooved idler pulleys :idunno:, and a Conti belt. I was planning on changing everything tomorrow, Friday, 3/21, but now I'm wondering if the the idlers are worthwhile and both supposed to be grooved, and if I ought to go find a Gates belt.

The Sprinter is at the storage place, so I'll probably head there tonight to see if both pulleys are grooved. But feel free to tell me if I'm wasting my time with the INA parts and the Conti belt. I hate doing a job twice.

Thanks.

So I decided to go ahead and work on the belt and pulleys with the parts I had. i got into the job for two reasons. 1, the truck is clocking nearly 192,000 miles, and without accurate maintenance records, I had no idea if and when anything had been done, and 2, I was getting some squealing on startup the past few starts, especially when it was really cold.

I mentioned in another thread the tensioner was acting like it was locked up when I tried to release the tension. A few good pushes finally got it to move, but it would remain in position when I released the breaker bar. I worked it back and forth a few times and it freed up nicely. So checking it and the idlers, it appeared everything was in good working order. Now I have a set of spare idlers and tensioner. Even the belt looked good; no splits or cracks. It was however stretched slightly, so it goes in the spares kit also.

The old belt looks to be rubber and without any type of reinforcing cording, and the top of the ribs are sharp like an inverted v. The new Conti belt is reinforced, and the the top of the ribs are flat. I had looked online and found three different Conti belts for Sprinters. They may be different constructions as the prices were different. However, nothing was mentioned about the construction. And there was no number on the belt telling me what Eurospares had sold me. So, time will tell. The job is done, and I'm off to New Orleans next week for a race, and won't be wondering about the belt and pulleys.
 

breakinwind

New member
MB original parts is "Litens". Don't know about "Schaeffler", but I do know that the one I bought from Europarts was "INA" and that it broke w/o warning (after a little over a year of service - ~20k miles) while I was in a National Park, and caused my motor to overheat. (I do know INA is a Schaeffler brand, so they may be equivalent - I posted a postmortem of mine) Nice to have quick service and a good shopping experience, but if the quality is suspect, have you just "shot yourself in the foot" like I did?
Mine failed after just one year as well.
 

Markthelark

New member
I know this is an old thread , but I am sure people must read it all the time , so ;
2003 CDi 2.2
Have just bought two idlers , Tensioner , the pulley that goes where the aircon should be ! , and belt.
Got all from MB for £170 including tax.

Been told these can all be changed without removing radiator , is this correct ????????

Using genuine parts after years of using genuine parts on my 2.8 Iveco with no problems. Use to change the cambelt every year , between 80 and 100,000 miles. Once used a non genuine belt , think it was a Gates , unlike the genuine belts it showed signs of wear !
 

ChuckS

Member
I just replaced the tensioner in my 2005. Reasonably easy, and I was parked on the side of an icy road. Rad removal not needed.

I removed the power steering pump (2 bolts, use a long extension) & air conditioning pump (3 bolts) to get better access. Be sure to NOT hang them by their hoses.
 

jsimson

New member
I'm so confused about what is OEM and what's not! I am ready to do this job, parts in hand. I have a Conti belt, Litens tensioner and INA pulley. This thread makes me doubt the quality of an INA pulley, but viewing OEM pulleys on Ebay, I see that all the listings for Sprinter OEM pulleys are INA, some in a MOPAR bag and genuine Mercedes part numbers. What gives? Will I find some other manufacturer of Sprinter pulleys out there?
 

jsimson

New member
Thank you glasseye. I went to the Europarts website and saw that INA is OEM. I feel a bit better about putting this pulley in my Sprinter, but I'm still confused by what is OEM one year and another brand can be OEM the next!
 

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
Thank you for all the wonderful helpful posts. I just finished replacing the tensioner and idler pulleys, but have not put the van back together. Taking a break as too hot outside. So I thought I'd share my thoughts from a total beginner's viewpoint.

1. As I also wanted to clean the outside of the radiator, I followed the other threads on how to disassemble the radiator "stack" of electric fan, AC compressor, intercooler and the radiator. Did not go so far as to disconnect transmission lines--just enough to get access and move radiator away from engine.

2. I also followed the thread on water pump removal insofar as how to remove the fan and clutch (as one unit) and the fan shroud. The fan shroud was a bit tricky to get out, even after fan and fan clutch were out and all clips disconnected. Had to flex/bend the shroud to get it out.

3. Extra nice things to have.

Raising front end is much nicer for access to work. Walmart often carries heavy duty plastic ramps (and add safety jacks too and wheel chocks).

Thanks to poster with the glasses with LED lights was a terrific idea (along with a handheld flashlight).

I used the cardboard trick of another poster to write what the bolts were which were stuck in the cardboard. No clever way to organize the nuts so put them all together.

Used an Olympus TG-3 pocket camera, which has macro capability and is built tough. Took photos overall, each bolt/screw for reassembly, before and after anything moved, etc. Then took bunch of photos of various things one is supposed to inspect (e.g., harmonic balancer).

Used sandwich bags to cover large openings like disconnected turbo intercooler hoses so flying bugs/bees didn't fly in.

Used those Costco disinfectant wipes to clean various areas. They cut throught the grime. Don't know if okay for hoses, but wiped outside of hoses too.

4. Paper Towel Roll Pressure. When reinstalling the bolts for the idler pulleys and tensioner, need to put pressure on the bolts (like screwing a screw). The tensioner bolt closest to AC condenser didn't take hold until almost all the way in. As radiator was still in place although loose, difficult to keep constant pressure on wrench from the top.

Use a brand new paper towel roll and put between the head of socket wrench and the radiator. Then as one is leaning against the radiator, one is putting pressure on the paper towel roll and the socket wrench. The paper towel roll spreads out the surface area pressure on radiator so radiator fins don't get crushed, and there is just enough pressure so bolts go in.

To clarify, paper towel roll is sideways so paper against radiator and paper against socket wrench--paper towel roll gets flattened.

If radiator were not in way, would be easier.

5. The idler pulleys can be done from the top (after disassembly of various parts as mentioned earlier). I'm hoping they go in either way as I couldn't tell if there was a front side and a back side.

The tensioner bolt closer to water pump can be seen for top and bottom. Found it easier to unbolt from top. The other bolt next to AC compressor is hard to see from top but can see from underneath. Once you know where it is, then can remove from top.
 
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OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
FYI.

The original tensioner had Mercedes logo and also the name "Litens." The original ribbed and original smooth idler pulleys said "INA" on the plastic covers.

Purchased the kit from Europarts-SD, option 2 with the smooth pulley--website says same as would get from dealer. As the original belt was 2260 long but the kit belt is 2257, figured it was better to stay with original smaller diameter smooth pulley.

http://europarts-sd.com/item.asp?cID=106&PID=2307
 

220629

Well-known member
A thread I added recently.

Serpentine Belt Tensioner Failures
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?p=755605


From Roadside tensioner replacement, minimal tools, one hour (Took me a bit longer.)

My admiration goes out to anyone who changed the tensioner when other than being home with their tools. Access isn't easy from above or below. As has been mentioned, the proper length ratchet extension would be nice. 3/8" drive about 2" long... not 3". I didn't have that length even at home. I was able to use some adapters which helped.

The serpentine belt was showing wear on the one back side edge. When I first moved the tensioner it was pretty stiff. It was good that I caught it and changed the parts out when I did. Note the angled gap between the two pieces.

IdlerWornT1N.jpg

Some things I remember.

Most of my work was from below. Some access was from above.

Pin the idler tensioner or getting clear access to the one fastener is difficult.

The fan shroud will flex. Use than feature. (Especially with a 3" ratchet extension.)

I removed the unit out the bottom (shroud flex helped).

I used an offset 17 mm box wrench to hold the new unit up into place to start the bolts. Even using that method didn't make it fun.

OffsetBoxWrench.jpg

Don't over-tighten and strip the bolts. I don't know the torque spec.

6PK2257 belt removed. 6PK2260 installed (on hand).

I realize the cracked casting was not predictable. If you notice edge wear on the belt don't wait. Change the tensioner and other parts before you need to do it on the side of the road without all of your tools.

Opinion:
I prefer the textured back serpentine belt like I show in the picture. I believe the one pictured is Conti brand. The Bosch belt is similar. The texture is what alerted me to the odd edge wear. A smooth back belt like NAPA and some other manufacturers supply will not show the edge wear as clearly.

Another Write-up.

Roadside tensioner replacement, minimal tools, one hour
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?p=649607

I also changed the viscous clutch unit.
Remove the 8mm Allen bolt to remove the fan and viscous clutch. Righty tighty, lefty loosey works on this one. I unclipped, but didn't remove the fan shroud for the viscous clutch. 3 clips to re-install (I lost one).



vic
...

I had to wait for a friend of mine to bring me one.
I freed up the rotating on the removed tensioner. I'll carry that as a spare until I get around to purchasing a replacement. The pulley/bearing is in usable condition and easily swapped if needed.

... Pretty easy.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
I'll concede straightforward. My ham hands made it less than easy.

I'm in the market for a 1 1/2" or 2" 3/8 extension to carry in the van. That would make a big difference. I also think that a 8 mm - 5/16" 12 point socket may be better than the proper e-torx. Especially after the fasteners are broken free. A deep well length e-torx would be about right, but there is no need for deep on e-torx [See Added: below]. 8 mm 12 pt deep well maybe??

1 1/2" 3/8" drive extension
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079HGRLQR

2" Wobble may have some advantage.
https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-640849-2-Inch-Extension-3-Piece/dp/B004QO9BTM

vic
Added:

My admiration goes out to anyone who changed the tensioner when other than being home with their tools. ...
vic
I can't believe it gets done so easily by others. :bash:

I noticed that the 2006 belt wasn't riding evenly on the tensioner pulley.

For removal I used Seans suggestion and disconnected the turbo intake manifold hose. That did make access from above better. Removal went fairly well.

Install... not so much.

I again had trouble getting the bolts started. I got the inside one started and figured that I'd just snug it up and then start the other bolt while held in position. The bolt began to bind as I (ever so slowly) turned it in. Great. I probably cross threaded it.

I decided that better access would help to get things back right. I proceeded to disassemble the front end to get the fan shroud out of the way. It turned out the fan shroud didn't need to be removed. Wedging the radiator stack out a bit using a block of wood on the right (passenger) side provided the clearance/access I needed.

I started the outboard bolt and snugged it in to get the tensioner basically in place. After it was in I started the other bolt that I thought was cross threaded. Fortunately it threaded in fine. It wasn't cross threaded at all. It must have been binding against the housing.

The disassembly was worth the extra effort. Otherwise the thought of the bolt possibly being cross threaded would have nagged at me.

Anyway.
Disassembly to allow tilting the radiator does take a bit of extra effort (grill off, headlights loose, top bar removed, etc.), but tilting the radiator moves the fan shroud back just a bit for more clearance and does provide much easier access for my ham hands. Next change I believe that I will just do the extra work to tilt the radiator. For me it will avoid aggravation.

The removed tensioner had an uneven gap similar to the 2004 tensioner that I show in post #5 above. If the belt isn't riding evenly on the tensioner, the tensioner is definitely on the way out and should be replaced.

:cheers: vic

P.S. - A 8mm or 5/16" 12 point socket kinda fits, but the proper E10 socket makes things a bit easier.

This "Deepwell" E set will be my next coupon purchase.
E10, E11, E12, E14, E16, and E18

6 Pc 3/8 in. Drive E-Socket Set
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-Pc-38-in-Drive-E-Socket-Set-68016.html
 
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Skiyup

Member
Just finished this two bolt minor operation and... a prehinsile tail would be handy. Spring housing separated. A short extension would be the handiest thing I would suggest. 1 1/2". Because the housing had separated I was hesitant in locking the pulley in the position used for belt replacement. It held. I did most from under the truck but did remove the turbo hose to aid in work. The tensioner absolutely has to be out of the way for upper bolt access. I used a drill with a 90 degree angle drive to spin the screws out and in and a 3/8" drive to break the bolts loose and torque them back. 28 nm, 21 ft lbs. I use the forum but also get help from Alldata, not advertising it, but there is a lot of info there to.
 

220629

Well-known member
Just finished this two bolt minor operation and... a prehinsile tail would be handy.
...
Thanks for that comment. At least I'm not the only one who considers the job a real PIA.

After the tensioner project yesterday, today my wife noticed the scratches on the back of my ham hand where I was jamming it down to get access to those "two minor bolts". If the damn thing fails while on the road I just may call a tow truck and get to some other sucker... um... technician for installation of the spare parts that I carry.

Misery loves company. There is strength in numbers.:thumbup:

:cheers: vic

P.S. - Just today I purchased the Harbor Freight 1/4" drive "deepwell" E socket set. It looks to be just about the right length, even if a 3/8" adapter to a larger ratchet handle adds length. As HF quality goes, if resistance is encountered it may be better to use another socket to break things free. It is only HF 1/4" drive, not Snap on tools brand.
 
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Nautamaran

2004 140” HRC 2500 (Crewed)
After too many years toughin’ it, HD nitrile gloves have made life easier for the backs of my hands... I keep a box on the shelf and a few tucked away strategically - in with my sockets, near the jack, in the glove box, etc.

(Scrubbing dirty hands with a mix of dish soap and table sugar was another tip I wish I’d learned earlier)

-dave
 

MillionMileSprinter

Millionmilesprinter.com
A great way to prevent having to scratch up the back of your hands (and knuckles and arms) from reaching down inside and between the fan and front of the engine is to stick to the prescribed preventive maintenance schedule.
Don't want to sound like I'm on my soapbox or anything, but changing out the entire cooling system every 120k miles and rotating assembly on the front of the engine every 60k miles keeps roadside breakdowns and the accompanying scraped and bloodied hands to a minimum. Kind of the "while you are in there" approach.
I sell the kits on my website linked in my signature below.
 

220629

Well-known member
After too many years toughin’ it, HD nitrile gloves have made life easier for the backs of my hands...
...
-dave
Yep.

I've been using them for a while now too. I stopped getting the light duty ones.

The right hand glove worked as planned. The glove on my left hand shredded to the point of leaving just the 5 fingers left, then no thumb. I was so intent on those two minor bolts that I just kept at it. The back of the glove shredding off would have been a hint to a smarter guy. :bash:

At one point I actually did think about just walking away for a break, but I was too stubborn to do that. It all went very well after I tilted the radiator out.

The heavy duty nitrile gloves normally do work well. :thumbup:

vic
 

amrbackup

New member
I just replaced my serpentine tensioner today on my 2004, after going through a few weeks of the Serpentine belt falling off when it was cold, I can now put the belt back on in about 10 minutes after it gets spun off the tensioner. 17MM 12 point wrench does the trick. Replacement of the tensioner was a pain in the butt.... but I was able to do it in about 2 hours. I know... 2 bolts in 2 hours.... Who's that stupid..... me...... So I looked at some video's on you tube and of course they show all of the front end pulled off. I didn't want to pull off my whole front end, it was a beautiful 2 degree Celsius day today, working outside to replace. I did slide under the front end to put an Allen key into the old tensioner and that gets the pulley wheel out of the way for both bolts to be accessed. I removed the intake hose instead of just lifting it up. I found that I could not see the Bolt for the driver side(outside) without moving the power steering unit. 3 easy bolts to remove and it shifts over about 7 inches and gets out of the way. I did not use an extension to get the drivers side bolt out, just a e10 socket on 3/8" drive ratchet. When it gets almost all of the way out I found that by using my left hand and turning my body to hump the driver side headlamp I was able to get my left hand directly on the bolt and undo it and to put it back in when needed. I did not remove or loosen the radiator or any front end parts. The Passenger side bolt was more work. I only had a 6" extension for the 3/8" drive and a double swivel joint extension. It would be ideal to use about a 1.5" extension. I tried a 1/4" drive with a 4" extension with about a 8mm socket and was able get the e10 bolt out almost all of the way. I shifted to the e10 socket on 3/8" drive with the double joint 2" extension- the trick to using the double swivel joint extension was to use a closed end 19MM wrench with closed end slipped over the double swivel extension. I did this because the head of the ratchet is not supported except by the 19MM wrench. then when you hold onto the handle of the ratchet drive you can leverage the wrench to hold the head of the ratchet. I hope that doesn't sound too confusing.

When the passenger side of the bolt came out I turned my body the same as the first bolt to get a grip on the bolt. Old tensioner pulled out from above, new one put in place, hump the headlamp, use your left hand to put both bolts in, tighten down, power steering back in place- 3 bolts snugged up. Belt back on, get under the vehicle to get the hose over the AC compressor, 17MM wrench to tension up the tensioner and pull out the pin and then intake hose back on. no more noises. When I had the old and the new side by side comparing them I could see the spring in the little window bulging out from the other coils in the spring. I did wear 2 pairs of nitrile gloves and by the very end of it they were getting pretty badly split up. Thanks to everyone posting their experience it gave me the courage to attempt replacing this tensioner. Now my van is back running. I only have 150,000 miles on it. I will hope that the new one lasts....
 
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jbbjjbt

New member
Thanks for that comment. At least I'm not the only one who considers the job a real PIA.

After the tensioner project yesterday, today my wife noticed the scratches on the back of my ham hand where I was jamming it down to get access to those "two minor bolts". If the damn thing fails while on the road I just may call a tow truck and get to some other sucker... um... technician for installation of the spare parts that I carry.

Misery loves company. There is strength in numbers.:thumbup:

:cheers: vic

P.S. - Just today I purchased the Harbor Freight 1/4" drive "deepwell" E socket set. It looks to be just about the right length, even if a 3/8" adapter to a larger ratchet handle adds length. As HF quality goes, if resistance is encountered it may be better to use another socket to break things free. It is only HF 1/4" drive, not Snap on tools brand.
I have replaced both idler pulleys (one on the road, when it broke) and am working on the tensioner. I finally have it removed after tilting back the radiator. My question is: should I put anything on the screws like anti-seize or lock tite? I do want to be able to remove them if/when I have to do this again. Thanks. I have a 2006 Sprinter with about 200,000 miles.
 
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Scottv125

New member
I just competed this job on my 06. I purchased the europarts SD standard belt kit which included 2 identical idler pulleys (not the small and regular), INA belt tensioner, and continental belt.

I can attest, I did not remove my radiator, fan, fan clutch, or even the fan shroud. I'm wondering if the entire job would be easier had I removed them, but I chose not to.

I did pull the 3 AC compressor bolts out so I could move it out of the way, which really helped get the tension on/off.

To loosen the tension on the tensioner, I didnt have a 12 point 17mm socket, so i used a 17mm wrench and attached a 2nd wrench for leverage (see my photo, this is such a great trick to have in your arsenal). I removed and installed the tensioner completly from below. Working from above, you cant see the bolts, so its all blind work up top.

Without removing the radiator, there was some needed creativity to get the perfect size contraption/extension to loosen each bolt, but it was just another auto repair job that any DIY person can figure out. Using your creative brain on these projects is what makes you unique!

I was replacing my thermostat at the same time as this job, so I did remove my upper rad hose and upper boost hose, this made the top idler pulley easy to replace and gave me room to get in and clean the thread holes. Besides my rad drain cock being broken, i find draining the coolant that way being so slow, so i remove the hose that drops out of the rad fill where it connects to the hard line.

To clean the threads I managed to get a can of brake clean (and the red nozzle thing) into each of the thread holes to clean the junk out (see my photo). I got the nozzle in the hole and spayed away. I also hit each bolt with a wire wheel and brake cleaner. This part added some time, but many members speak about cleaning thread holes on this van, so I did so.

The entire job, including the thermostat swap, took me about 5 hours. I do work slow and made sure to clean each bolt thoroughly, but 5 hours was my job time. It's def a tedious job, but nothing as hard as say replacing the rear diff bearings.

I read in this thread, a few people mentioned their INA pulley failed after 1 year. My tensioner was replaced 2 years ago and failed, hence why im replacing it (when i went to loosen the tension, it stayed in 1 place, not springing back), so i assume it failed. BUT, i did read another user worked his back and forth, and maybe some wd-40, and it worked fine again. So i will keep an eye out for that.

my van is an 06 with 366k miles
 

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davisdave

2005 140 tall passenger
I recently did a preventative maintenance tensioner and idlers replacement at 130k. After reading on another thread, i unbolted the power steering pump (three easy bolts) and you can actually see what you are doing. I removed the top intake hose as well. For the left idler pulley, i removed the turbo heat shield. All work was from the top and i think it took two hours taking my time.

Here is the tensioner being installed with the bolts just started...

tensioner.jpg
 

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