vettetard

Hello, this is my first time posting here. I have a 91 base model and took my belt tensioner out because it was bad and majorly screwed up the screw and want to know if I could use a shorter screw or if it needs to be as long as it is. The length makes it ridiculously obnoxious to take out and put back in with the crossbar being there.

Spencer Smith

That bolt has to go quite a ways before it catches any threads. The only way I’d consider installing a shorter bolt is to pull the AC bracket and measure the depth between the face of the tensioner and bottom of the threads. That’s not a part I’d want to throw a shorter bolt in and find out later it’s only catching a couple of threads. If your car is stock then pulling that bracket is not worth the trouble, just install the stock length bolt.

Deepa

It’s doable. You need a wrench instead of a socket.

you need the length to get through the tensioner and into the bracket

Kevova

GM would have installed a shorter bolt if they thought that could and save a 10 cents on a hundred. It's not like you should be replacing tensioner annually. Most are never changed. If you go with shorter bolt be sure to use medium loc tite.