I have an 04 6MT with 106k on it. Had a local shop do the major 105 service, including the auto tensioner replacement. Alternator just went bad on car, so I replaced alternator and battery.

Everything was fine for a couple days - finally was able to put the wire brush and jumper cables back in the trunk for the first time in a long time. Today when I got in and started the interior dome lights were pulsing - dim than bright. So was the fan. Got out and so were the parking lights. Popped hood and looked at drive belt to make sure everything looked normal. The auto tensioner is moving slightly, prob 1/4 inch up and down.

Did I break the auto tensioner somehow when removing the drive belt to replace the alternator?

Can I drive it with the auto-tensioner moving? Wife is out of town for business so it's my only vehicle this week......

 

i wonder if the right belt was used.
These tensioners seem pretty beefy. Doubt its broken.

unless they replaced it with a used one?

 

I agree i was looking at changing my belt today and was surprised how well made it was compared to my other rides. If you used a cheater bar 3 feet long you might could do damage but i think your ok I would confirm the belt is the correct part and even make sure its routed correctly

 

Could it be a bad battery!?! I know you just replaced it, but our cars act pretty funny when the battery has a problem...I've read about things just going haywire.

About the tensioner, it's a pretty simple assembly and I HIGHLY doubt you have the strength to damage it. It's strong.

Check belt routing and ensure you didn't run the belt backward to where it's ribs aren't running in the grooves of the pulley's that have grooves.

J.

 

Took it into the shop - alternator from Autozone was bad, cooked wiring harness, may have damaged tensioner. It was also intermittently trying to charge the battery with 16V so lucky I didn't cook the new battery. $900 later - new alternator, tensioner and labor.

Now just have to convince Autozone to give me the refund for the part (done) and the core (in progress)......