DIY: Serpentine Belt EZ-Tool (<$2) & Routing Topic is solved

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 28 Feb 2017, 15:45

Just changed my tensioner today, and this combo worked great. I used a 1/2" to 3/4" socket adapter and a 19mm open end wrench. The drive part of the adapter is long enough to go into the tensioner and leave just enough space for the wrench.
I tried using the adapter on a 1/2" ratchet a while back, but that didn't work since there is no room in the fender for the ratchet head.

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 28 Feb 2017, 20:04

bmdubya1198 wrote:Just changed my tensioner today, and this combo worked great. I used a 1/2" to 3/4" socket adapter and a 19mm open end wrench. The drive part of the adapter is long enough to go into the tensioner and leave just enough space for the wrench.
I tried using the adapter on a 1/2" ratchet a while back, but that didn't work since there is no room in the fender for the ratchet head.

I love this. But I think it costs more than a couple of quarters...

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 28 Feb 2017, 21:37

theWIFES_S70 wrote:
bmdubya1198 wrote:Just changed my tensioner today, and this combo worked great. I used a 1/2" to 3/4" socket adapter and a 19mm open end wrench. The drive part of the adapter is long enough to go into the tensioner and leave just enough space for the wrench.
I tried using the adapter on a 1/2" ratchet a while back, but that didn't work since there is no room in the fender for the ratchet head.
I love this. But I think it costs more than a couple of quarters...

Haha, true, but I already had the tools on hand. I don't even know what that adapter cost, but it's a 3/4 inch and it's from Northern, so it probably wasn't cheap. I actually tried the quarters and vise grips first, and I bent the heck out of the quarters. As long as they're still worth 25 cents if material is missing

RooBah · Post by **RooBah** » 17 Apr 2019, 18:20

There is this for pickup at Walmart ~$5.70

Post by **abscate** » 18 Apr 2019, 03:49

Sneers from the 1999s who don t have to splurge on 75 cent tools because the M10 in our tool box fits our 14 mm hex tensioner perfectly. We also have sexy Italian throttle bodies. Different routing on the belt too, as well as a freewheeling ALT pulley that can’t be reversed.

I bought the AKN tool as I have three Volvos in the fleet, another 7 I’m servicing locally and that tool does make this job a breeze

RooBah · Post by **RooBah** » 19 Jul 2020, 11:51

I would add that I needed to grind just a tad off of two sides of the adapter to make it slip in so much easier. Such a small tad that even though I own no 3/4" sockets I think it would still be usable in one. Perhaps 0.5mm off of the two sides.
Biff bam boom with a 3" portable grinder while I had it mounted to a breaker bar. Three 850's in the five Volvo fleet now handled. The 745 manual turbo and 780 are so much easier to work on!! ♥
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tjqwtceod5fjk45x8

850oldschool · Post by **850oldschool** » 19 Jul 2020, 21:19

CTA 1071 tool is $17.62 from FCP:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... 0-cta-1071

I'd been improvising for years and they finally got me.

Shartcar · Post by **Shartcar** » 23 Jun 2021, 13:24

Figured I would share what I used in a pinch. The head of my 11mm wrench fit snug with the ECU box removed. Threw an adjustable on there for leverage and it worked surprisingly well.

Post by **erikv11** » 23 Jun 2021, 23:15

Shartcar wrote: 23 Jun 2021, 13:24 Figured I would share what I used in a pinch. The head of my 11mm wrench fit snug with the ECU box removed. Threw an adjustable on there for leverage and it worked surprisingly well.

I loosened the tensioner this way a few times way way back using an 11 mm crow's foot, but then I lost the crow's foot and went to a different homemade tool ...

LOB · Post by **LOB** » 23 Jun 2021, 23:56

Don't know if this type of crow bar is widely available in the US but it's cheap and works great for this belt tensioner;
https://www.biltema.no/en-no/tools/hand ... 2000041645