recommended tensioner brand?
 

Hi all,

New to the forum. It's great to have a first gen tsx community!

I have a 2006 Acura TSX with 136k miles and things are beginning to fall apart. I noticed my tensioner pulley rattling a bit when I spin it so I will be replacing the entire tensioner while I am at it. I was hoping to get a recommendation on a good and reliable brand for the tensioner. Can anyone let me know about some of their good/bad experiences?

much appreciated.

There's no quality like OEM quality.

If you're using aftermarket, then Gates or Conti are probably a good bet. I've been using the gates one for a few years without any issue.

thanks for the reply!

I was leaning towards continental so I guess I will give that a try. I wonder if any one had any luck with NAPA auto parts.

parts stores are nice because the warranty is instant.

But rockuto has better pricing, and their warranty program isn't bad either.

I am very weary of the bearings used in aftermarket pulley & idler wheels. The tensioner itself is probably good for the life of the engine and it's the wheel bearing that wears. I usually change the wheel only with an OEM part. But be aware, if you change the wheel only there is a nut on the back of the tensioner arm that holds the wheel. Put your finger on the nut to hold it while you remove the bolt otherwise it could fall and be difficult to locate.

thanks for the input everyone. I went ahead and went with continental elite for now. I do not think I will be keeping this vehicle that much longer, so hopefully it lasts me a few years.

I had to remove the pulley to get to the bolt that mounts the tensioner and I found that the bearings are made in China... hoping they did a nice job. If not, I can just change the pulley wheel next time.

I decided to replace the entire tensioner because when I did the "spray bottle test", I would hear a obnoxious squeal and I read that it is possibly due to a loose belt.

Will let everyone know how everything goes. Thanks again for all the input!

Holy started doing a rattling sound too around 120k~. Gave me a scare as i thought it was an engine part, this is the one i bought . Its very tight when u install it.

I would go OEM for this one. When I bought my car used the belt was chewed up and had already destroyed the hood liner. I replaced the belt and it kept skipping off the pulley. The pulley bearings were tight and sounded fine so I replaced the whole tensioner and pulley even though the marks were within tolerance. A new OEM tensioner and pulley fixed my issues.