Mercedes S550 W221 M273 Serpentine Belt Tensioner Replacement

[@gianfrancoa]

Hey Peter tell us how this tensioner will hold up. Uro parts don't have the best reptation

[@yogib37]

yeah when I saw he got an URO I thought oh he is going to have to do that again in a year or two

[@LAactor]

used to hear gates was no good.. is Uro even worse??@@yogib37some gates had bad bearings right out of the box, redo the job maybe week or two later.

[@johnhall4427]

On my 2005 E500, when the pulley got noisy, i didnt bother changing the whole tensioner. They sell the tensioner pulley by itself. Much cheaper and i dont really see a need to change the whole tensioner out. Its not really a part that breaks all that readily. While in there, i also did the other idler pulley too. If ones bad the others probably close behind. Real simple job doing pulleys only.

[@ztech6596]

Beautiful car. Worth sinking some money and work into!

[@geofffikar3417]

He has the time and money.

[@Charlie_Crown]

​@@geofffikar3417 ...and the mechanical expertise 👍

[@geofffikar3417]

@@Charlie_Crown Right, the mechanical skills!

[@Esteban_Herrera]

@@geofffikar3417And the Shop and the Hoist. LoL

[@angturil]

I did mine 15 days ago, no problems except for a bolt that is really not easy to access behind the ABC piping.

[@joselopezcanolopezcano9398]

Donde puedo saber los pares de apriete de los tornillos?

[@LAactor]

Long term maybe better, but could you drive the old can for one week while the mercedes waits for you.. Or worse you take the chance and drive it anyway and then the belts rip and damage everything. Throws into the metal fan and the fan rips the fins in the radiator.. hopefully you can pull over before the engine overheats on the highway.. I think you made the right decision. Why do you second guess Petr? When I miss your Toyo videos I come over here to see what you are up to.

[@allanriches9381]

I thought you were getting the full set of pulleys. Bad mistake oh well at least it will be another video.

[@everythingmaintenancellc3660]

What’s the sound that’s whining mine does the same thing just started?

[@Esteban_Herrera]

I learned something. 😛 I didn't know that the belt tensioner could be locked. I have never need to lock one and the ones I have purchased weren't locked. I did notice all the crud on the front of the engine. It's hard for a guy like me to look at. I'm the type of guy that likes the comments from people of how clean my engines are. When I bought a used car I would go to a 24hr coin-op car wash after the attendant has left so I could roll up on ramps to clean the under belly. Those car washes usually have a sink where I would fill up a bucket and add soap. My method is to spray Foamy Engine Brite on the hard to reach spots first. I would pull off all the plastic bits that are in the way and clean them later. Depending on the car I would tie a bag over the distributor, maybe the carb if I didn't have a cover. I shoved paper towels in the carb just in case of a leak past the cover. It's easy to keep clean after the first cleaning. Now I can clean in my driveway and use the hot water from the water heater.

[@philipsmithnyc]

You should have ordered the Continental kit which contains two other pulleys that need to be replaced along with the tensioner. Replace that AC pulley which will eventually go as well.

[@LAactor]

Most tensioners have a lock. They are called the grenade pins

[@Esteban_Herrera]

@@LAactor 😀I see the necessity on timing belt tensioners. Unless there is a bolt hiding behind the pulley, I can't see use for it. It looks like this tensioner could have been removed and installed with ease without a grenade pin.

[@philipsmithnyc]

@@Esteban_Herrera you can do the removal without a pin but you either need and additional person or a way to lock your tool when the tensioner is pulled back to get access to one of the screws that it covers.

[@LAactor]

@@philipsmithnyc exactly. Because even Pete was having trouble with the weakened tensioner. The full strength would be harder. This just makes it easy and safer. Plus for installation at the factory it makes it easier too. The repair person down the line also benefits as a side effect. People shouldn't say they don't see why a certain thing is made when the engineer designed it that way. There was a reason and for something critical like this, they don't just guess. This is also why we don't leave parts out after repair. All the bolts and brackets serve a purpose. But people think they know better than the one who spent a large part of their life designing it. Only because they own it and they feel they can do better because it is theirs.

[@s.encode]

Afternoon Buddy! Interested in collaborating on some product review projects? 😊

[@yogib37]

Be prepare to do that job again in the future. URO Parts for Mercedes are pure junk. Only time I would get an URO Part for my '87 benz is if it is the tail light or non moving part.

[@lcervantes8505]

URO? That Chinese mfg. should last you forever.