Replacing the serpentine belt at 222,000km

Good job!

 

The whole idea of the spring-loaded tensioners is that they are self-adjusting - no re-tensioning is needed or possible.

On other belt systems with a manual adjuster, then yes, its great advise. On a Tacoma and most modern vehicles with spring tensioners not so much.

Another note - rather than wedging the tensioner in the released position, there is a hole in both the spring-loaded side of the housing and the fixed housing. The idea is, you crank the tensioner back, pin it in the released position, remove and reinstall you belt, then take the tension off the pin with your wrench and remove the pin. If you weren't aware to look for this feature, you certainly wouldn't see it though.

 

Haha, i just found this out after doing the job. I looked thru a page i had open but didn't read all the way thru and found this….