Hello. I'm new to this page so I don't know how this work. I'm looking to replace the tensioner assembly on my 2008 Nissan Altima SE 3.5. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to do it myself? I looked all over YouTube and can't find a video to explain it. It's really hard to remove one of the 2 bolts attached to the tensioner.

Thanks!

You can get a small wrench behind there with belt off. Dont bother doing it unless you are sure the tensioner is toast. I replaced mine, but it was not necessary.

I change the belt on my 2009 original engine at 100k, I say original because I installed a new one later. That tensioner was still as tight as new. There’s some things that Nissan doesn’t do right, uhum cvts. Accessories isn’t one of them. My 03 was totaled by a deer at 176k and still had all the original pulleys as well as starter and alternator and ran like a Swiss watch. Unless you’ve got a reason to change it I wouldn’t bother. I stripped all the pulleys and parts off my old engine and will use them as replacements should I ever need them. The engine I dropped in the car had 39k so I hope I never need to.

I’m at a loss on belt replacement on this 09. When I swapped the engine out advance only had a gates belt in stock, which was a cheap replacement with a 1 year warranty. Yesterday I decided to swap out my original alternator that has 142k as preventative maintenance before I take one last trip to northern Michigan. I tried a lifetime belt from napa (gates) and to short. Went to advance and tried the more expensive dayco and same thing! Wtf? I put the old belt back on since it’s only 1 yr old and like new but what gives here? My nearest dealer is an hour away but can’t figure out for the life of me why a gates and dayco would be a 1/4 inch short but the cheap gates was fine?

D1dad wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:16 am

I put the old belt back on since it’s only 1 yr old and like new but what gives here? My nearest dealer is an hour away but can’t figure out for the life of me why a gates and dayco would be a 1/4 inch short but the cheap gates was fine?

Is it possible it's the way you're installing it? If you're shoehorning the last loop of belt over the crank or P/S pulley, then a belt that's a tiny bit short will be terribly problematic. The right spot to shoehorn is the A/C compressor pulley.

Is it for the 3.5 or 2.5? If your old belt is only a year old use it.

Nah I was installing it correctly. Other forums were stating oem was the only way to go on the rogues of that year, even though mines an Altima. The “better belts” were made in China or Mexico while the cheapo dayco was made in the USA. I just slapped the cheap in back on with no issues. Stretching the old belt next to a new one there did seem to be an 1/8” difference or so, by the time I had it routed it wasn’t even close

Good to hear. Always look for made in the USA.