Hello, i finally got back to building my abandoned z32 project, i'm at the point where i want to check for compression before i put the upper plenum onbut i want to make absolutely sure the belt tension is good before i jump the starter. i rotated the engine by hand multiple times and every time all the tdc marks line up properly on all 4 cams and the crank but i don't fully understand the auto tensioning mechanism and want to make sure i have it tight enough. can someone give me a quick rundown of the steps. something isn't clicking in my brain and i can't seem to wrap my head around the instructions in the FSM.

Elaborate a little more about what isn't clicking , and if it relates to something that maybe seems vague to you in the FSM , specifically what is it you can't wrap your head around - for instructions on these procedures many times could be written a lot better - I find going over a few times helps , and sheds light for you and the experienced ones here can better help , without giving you a lot of "work" that maybe unnecessary or wasted time ,or the wrong "fixes" , you know.
Like of course tensioning can be explained probably better ,by someone but more background will help , for it's covered fully in several paragraphs and one detail , the "answer" maybe left out without more info from you.
Hope that makes sense .

it references tightening different bolts and a nut then moving the belt then tightening again then something called the stopper bolt, i'm really not sure which nut it is referring to, on mine i only see the 2 bolts that go into the block and one that goes through the pulley itself. then there's a little bleeder screw or something is that the nut or the stopper bolt? should i have released that when putting it on?

i also don't have the "pusher tool" the FSM references and i don't have a proper deflection gauge, not sure if that's actually needed or not but i can push the belt down with my fingers and compress the auto tensioner a bit. also i think i found where the "stopper bolt" is supposed to go, but that seems like it would just compress the tensioner to allow belt installation, was i supposed to use a bolt to get the belt on?

i've clearly been working too long, i just realized it is referencing the bracket the tensioner mounts on not the tensioner itself, dunno how i missed that. got it tensioned properly now sorry.

Glad you got it worked out. FSM spec that the tensioner gap is 4mm, I use a 4mm allen key to check. Make sure the 6mm bolt (with 10mm head) is removed from the tensioner when completed. Are you using a used tensioner?