Did I just strip the threads on my 3rd Gen V Belt Tensioner Pulley?

Howdy TacomaWorld,

Consulting the extremely knowledgable forum here and hoping someone can lend a hand. Working on my 2019 Tacoma TRD Pro today, I misread instructions a few times and made a big mistake turning the tensioner pulley bolt clockwise instead of counter clockwise, these bolts (or the tensioner housing) must be extremely fragile, as it gave way and stripped quite easily. I've never stripped a bolt (like this one) before in all my years of wrenching and I'm quite embarrassed.

I was able to back the bolt off a half turn or so and it seemed to hold firmly enough. I started the truck and it didn't seem to whine or anything.

Now the questions is, how do I go about fixing this and what parts are likely to need replacing. Should I replace the entire tensioner? Seems like the right thing to do, but does the bolt actually bolt into tensioner, or does it bolt into the engine itself? There are about 88k miles on the truck right now. I'd like to fix it the correct way and don't want to cut any corners as I plan on keeping the truck a long time.

Last question is, would this be safe to drive any distance? The nearest dealer is about 30 minutes away. I also have a 6.5 hour trip coming up Wednesday of next week and can get it fixed when I arrive (headed south for the holidays), the belt itself isn't in horrible shape, and I have a spare if needed. I just don't want the tensioner and belt to give out halfway into the trip and leave me stranded.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all, as always.

Cheers

 

I may have overlooked a very simple fact here, I believe the v belt tensioner bolt is reverse threaded, if I turned the bolt clockwise, (to the right) did I loosen the bolt, or did I strip it out?

When I turned it counter clockwise, it seemed to have tightened up a little bit, but I did not want to over tighten it.

Can anyone confirm? I'm speaking about the bolt itself, being stripped at the threads, and not the head. Thank you.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-torque-drivebelt-tensioner-pulley-bolt.748253/

Maybe this will help?

 

Thank you BillF I read through that post, and it's a tiny bit confusing, or at least I can't get a 100% clear answer. I have also consulted this forum: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-tacoma-serpentine-belt-replacement.712582/ but haven't found anything super clear.

What I am gathering, is that to remove the pulley in it's entirety, you need to rotate the v belt tensioner bolt CLOCKWISE. So I'm REALLY hoping I just loosened the bolt and didn't strip the threads. To reinstall the tensioner, the post you linked I believe states you need to rotate the bolt COUNTER CLOCKWISE, past the release of the v belt? I'm not positive, but that's what it sounds like to me. I need to buy a Haynes manual.

 

Yes its reverse thread.

I'd smash it with a hammer and use a giant pair of vice grips possibly or an extractor.

 

Ok - so, maybe I am overthinking this.

I may have just loosened the tensioner bolt... As I turned it to the right (Clockwise) instead of OVER tightening it (Counter Clockwise).

Man, that would be nice.

 

Bishop is a Toyota master tech, so he knows his $hit!

There is a pdf manual here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-tacoma-service-manual-huge-pdf.707834/

Good Luck

 

Amazing, thank you. Let me take a quick read.

 

OP, Watch this video it will put your mind at ease.

https://youtu.be/ewr-bdAOxh8?si=PeoE0OE_R8_soVLp

 

Top Dog, you are a life saver.

I can sleep easy tonight.

Thank you!

 

To remove the pulley: You turn the bolt to the opposite direction of which you would release the tension. It can be either way depending on which way the crankshaft spins the rest of the pulleys. But always the opposite of the way of the tension arm lever.