onthejob
Member
- May 1, 2013
- 266
- Boat Info
- 2003.5 Sea Ray 340 Sundancer, Raymarine A97 and Quantum radar. Hurley Davits with a Zodiac 310 Wave
- Engines
- 2x 370-hp MerCruiser 8.1S Horizon with V-Drives turning 4 blade wheels
Had a squeak I was dealing with and swapped out the belt which stopped the squeak. According to the manual, the 8.1 has a belt tensioner pulley wheel in the middle of the serpentine route. It said turn it clockwise with a breaker bar (and 13mm socket in 1/2” drive) to loosen the pulley tension so the belt can be removed. When I did that it did not loosen the tension, only felt it tightened the bolt. I felt having that much leverage I could easily snap the bolt so I stopped. Instead I loosened the alternator and got the old belt off - new belt on that way. Should I be concerned the tensioner is not working properly or did I do something wrong? Anyone replace one of these and can give me some insight on the procedure any any other suggestions? Idler pulley as well? Thanks!