How to Replace Belt Tensioners on a 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder | DIY Guide with OEM

[@___Karma__]

Ive been doing the complete cooling system, pulleys/belts, and transmission fluid/filter on my 99 Pathfinder. After spending time after taking everything apart I found this video helpful just for remembering the pulley spacers alone. Great video and full of great information that I'm sure will help many people. 👍🏼

[@JohnBrown-cz7ww]

Good job on the vidio. I have a 2003 pathfinder and the tensioner set up is different. The 2003 has not a right side tensioner. It only has a left side tensioner. The tension on the right side is taken up by the alternator I believe. The right side just has a idler pully directly on a bracket with no tension jack screw. I needed to watch this vidio because the left side tensioner looked wrong to me and did not look like it had a spacer below the pully as required. I will take it apart now to look for the spacer which may have been left out by previous mechanic. Thanks again.

[@hansupmofo]

Saved my butt stuck in bishop,ca when pulley came off due to mechanic not tightening the bolt when changing belts. Figured out a fix to get home. Thanks

[@johndonohue7746]

Hi, Very useful video. It's the 2nd video of yours I've watched. I just replaced my alternator and got everything buttoned up with the alternator belt back on but as you might guess, the belt squealed when I started it. I tried tightening the tensioner bolt but that made it worse. But then I hadn't loosened the idler pulley 14 mm bolt before I did that. When doing any adjustment, I assume you must loosen that idler puller bolt first and then mess with the tensioner bolt True? I have 167k miles on it so I assume my idler pulley is probably OK since it was before I changed the alternator. Thoughts or any helpful hints on this? This tensioner thing seems more tricky than it appears.

[@johndonohue7746]

Hi Dave I had another question on this. I replaced just the idler pulley on the passenger side recently along with a new gates micro v belt. Worked for while but then it started doing some intermittent squealing and then eventually the belt Shredded on one edge and came off the pulley path. I'm not sure why this happened as I tensioned it up to where I thought there was just the right amount of deflection in the belt. What do you think the cause is? Simpk6 not enough tension or maybe gates just isn't good for this car? I'm not sure. The tension pulley is not an oem part. It's a dayco part# 89150. It's supposed to be compatible with a Nissan pathfinder. Do I need to worry about the screw bolt too?

[@GunStockReviews]

Nissan idler assemblies are slightly different on the passenger side verses the drivers side. Nissan part number for the idler is 11927-AG300 and is common to both. I cannot determine if this dayco part is supposed to be universal or car specific. If universal, it will be a compromise which will probably reduce the quality of the fit and wear. In general, I have no problem with dayco parts, but some of theirs and others aftermarket parts just sacrifice a bit for universal fit across models and manufacturers which can cause problems. Gates are usually good quality but sometimes a bad batch comes through. I have used gates and dayco on several cars and they have worked reasonably well. Tried aftermarket idlers on my pathfinder - wasn’t happy. Also be sure you have the spacers stacked properly. BTW: the amazon dayco part is $29 (china) versed the Nissan from NissanPartsDeal at $53 (OEM). Is $26 really worth the risk?

[@SamsAutomotiveS]

Are this oem tentioner or aftermarket?

[@linktriscuit]

Thank you, the video was very helpful.

[@Harlem1mentality]

Thank you so much

[@jsmith3964]

the best ive seen on this issue ,thanks for the video. i sub for your channel i have a small repair channel lawn mowers.,

[@TheJubylantk]

So the idle pulley comes right off the the tensioner bolt? Mine isnt coming off, i have a 98 and it looks the same as yours

[@FunDadAdventures]

Thanks man. I’m about to do this on my 2000 Nissan but I think the one I have is an Auto Tensioner. Any advice on that? Thank you.

[@LtPissMissle]

anyone got a part number for the pulley assembly?

[@on1ytheb3st]

I've got a clatter/rattle at about 1800-2000 RPM that goes away. I'm trying to diagnose if its the accessory pulleys, idle pulley or tensioner pulleys. After taking off the serpentine belts, how should I test for bad pulleys? Just check for radial play? Should the pulleys be perfectly smooth?

[@howtodoityourself6178]

Yes, it must be perfectly smooth. Any wobble, any feel of rolling jitter, any looseness from pushing side to side (torsion) even if very slight will be magnified when put under belt pressure. The rattle you hear is due to harmonics which changes with RPM.

[@on1ytheb3st]

@@howtodoityourself6178 right it’s from resonance. I’m worried though it might be my timing chain or chain guides rattling. My main timing chain tensioner is replaceable via a port on the timing chain cover but that still might not solve the issue if it indeed is timing chain related. I’ve checked heat shields and can’t find any rattling. Any other recommendations to check? I’ll try looking at the pulleys this weekend.

[@___Karma__]

​@@on1ytheb3stthat's wild, I thought your 98 would have a belt like my 99 (3.3L). What engine do you have?

[@roswel7845]

Had my belt tensioner slide between the ears of the bracket. Squealing like a pig