WTF!!! Im Posting in This Section.....Need 3.8 guru's Help

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[Invasion1]

My buddy has a Gen II GP with that awesome 3.8 in it and it blew the bearing on the engine belt tensioner wheel this morning.

we got it tore apart but how in hell does one get that tensioner off?? he will need a new one as its pretty smacked up but i dunno how to get that little bastard off.

any advise is welcome  

[R Dubya]

which one are you talking about, is it just a pulley or is is the entire bracket and asm?  I know there are some reverse bolts on some of those pulleys, turn them right to loosen them, left to tighten.  

I think you might be asking about something completely different but hey, it's all I've got for you.  3.1 FTW  

[Invasion1]

ya im not to familiar with that motor so i will try to describe it better hopefully  :neutral:

its the whole tensioner arm, spring and what used to be a wheel before it blew up, unlike the 3.1 where the tensioner arm is held on with a bolt, this has no visable bolt and its a mystery how it comes off.

got a price for a whole new arm and wheel and its $180 CDN just need to get this one off and were set.

mystery..

[DiscoStudd]

I've changed the tensioner pulley on a '90 3800, and it was a cakewalk.  Remove bolt, replace pulley, replace bolt.  Replacing the whole tensioner assembly sounds like it's a pain.  The Haynes Manual (for the 95-01 Lumina, Monte Carlo, and 00-01 Impala) states:

Tensioner, 3.8L engine
Warning: If you're removing the tensioner from a 3.8L engine, wait until the engine has cooled completely before beginning the job.
1.)  Drain the engine coolant.
2.)  Move a large container under the front of the engine to catch the coolant and remove the heater hose adapters with the heater hoses attached from the drivebelt tensioner assembly.
3.)  Detach the drivebelt tensioner retaining bolts and remove the tensioner assembly from the vehicle.  Installation is the reverse of the removal procedure.
4.)  Refill the cooling system, start the engine, and check for leaks.

Both this book, and the one for the "other" W-Bodies list the exact procedure and supply no pics...

[Invasion1]

oh christ.... :shock:

I have to take the whole waterpump/tensioner assembly off.....