Any trick to remove tention t50 torx

I always have problems with this. I think I might of stripped it a bit but was able to get the serpentine belt. Does anyone have the part number for that t50 torx. BMW says they don't make them anymore and I need to convert to Hydraulic tensioner. Yeah right($500) . Is there a trick to it. DO i need a long breaker bar. I'd like to replace that torx bolt however I'm thinking it's 07129905534 but not sure. Sorry spelled Tention wrong on title . should be tension..

realoem.com. If you stripped it, you will want to replace it imho.

BRB

Yep...#7 seems like your guy.

Oh, wait...you need to 'convert' to hydraulic tensioner? Does that mean you currently have the mechanical? If so, I'm not sure it's the same length bolt...and as you say, bmw is no longer in the mechanical tensioner business.

It's a decent guess, I guess, but have to say I don't know for sure myself.

You know you can get just the pulleys and usually be okay, right? Tensioners themselves really don't fail. I'm sure my mech tensioner is original too...though I've replaced all my pulleys.

I noticed, btw, that you need to apply torque while keeping the pulley in about the same position...don't crank hard against the full stop...I sort of loosened and tightened mine in the middle of its travel as best I could.

So, you have a mechanical tensioner and you stripped the bolt that holds the pulley in? What year and model is the car?

It's 2005 330i. I just always have a hard time de-tensioning the belt. Are there any tricks? I don't want to replace the whole tensioner, just the pulley and torx screw. I recently had to de-tension to replace the oil housing gaskit and I stripped it a bit when trying to get the belt back on. Yes Mechanical tensioner. Is it the proper way to de-tension the mechanical one? I don't see any other way to do it

Originally Posted by fanatic128

It's 2005 330i. I just always have a hard time de-tensioning the belt. Are there any tricks? I don't want to replace the whole tensioner, just the pulley and torx screw. I recently had to de-tension to replace the oil housing gaskit and I stripped it a bit when trying to get the belt back on. Yes Mechanical tensioner. Is it the proper way to de-tension the mechanical one? I don't see any other way to do it

I us the end of a 1/2" rachet to de-tension mine...Maybe thats for a different tensioner, idk...

I don't see this bolt this video refers to on my tensioner

maybe I do have hydraulic and I think the hydraulic has t50 torx. I need to look better next time..

They both have t-50, but that's not to say that someone didn't replace the bolt at some point in time...you have to doublecheck the fit on everything, whether you can see it clearly or not.

The hydraulic tensioner looks like it has a little shock absorber. The mechanical tension looks like a hockey puck...a silver hockey puck, with pulley on top of it.

There's a hex head just hanging out on the tensioner you can also use. I've always used the t-50 myself, but use an inspection mirror...you should find a little hex head on tensioner that you can use to turn it with. It's been a while, but I know I've seen it.

Thanks. so it is 07129905534 for torx correct?

Originally Posted by dmax

They both have t-50, but that's not to say that someone didn't replace the bolt at some point in time.

Nope. Some cars came with a socket head cap screw that take an 8mm hex bit.

Originally Posted by teamdfl

Nopee. Some cars came with a socket head cap screw that take an 8mm hex bit.

I guess I forgot having heard something like this before. I have a feeling that maybe the OP has that 8 mm hex...might not be too late to try that, OP...but it probably is!

You're not the first to strip this and it's often because you trusted fanatics more than your own eye (and inspection mirror!). A t-50 might have been right for you and it just got twisted...or you had that hex screw...or something completely different!

A torx in the 8mm hex can certainly strip. Try an 8mm hex bit and you might get lucky.

Yeah becareful with those torx screws lol, especially using cheap sockets, get something of good quality like craftsmen or snapon if you can afford it. On my car (hydraulic) it's a 8mm bolt that I got a replacement from home depot because a buddy of mine stripped it trying to remove it doing the same thing. (I went to get beer came back it was stripped)

It's def a torx. I think I just wasn't using the right socket wrench . I need a longer breaker bar or something to give me more leverage.

It may help to buy an inspection mirror and check to make sure whether it's torx or hex.
(mine is hex)

The tension bolt (and attaching bolt) for the serpentine belt is an 8 mm hex, the tension bolt for the AC tension pulley is a T50. Clockwise rotation to remove the tension on both. Easy to remove the tension on the serpentine belt with a normal ratchet with 8 mm hex, but much easier to install the new belt using a breaker bar to move the tension pulley far enough to get the NEW/Un-stretched belt on. This is the same for either mechanical or hydraulic tensioners.

Originally Posted by tomoyer

The tension bolt (and attaching bolt) for the serpentine belt is an 8 mm hex, the tension bolt for the AC tension pulley is a T50. Clockwise rotation to remove the tension on both. Easy to remove the tension on the serpentine belt with a normal ratchet with 8 mm hex, but much easier to install the new belt using a breaker bar to move the tension pulley far enough to get the NEW/Un-stretched belt on. This is the same for either mechanical or hydraulic tensioners.

This image looks like Torx to me but I could be wrong.

That indeed is a torx fastner, however, it was only used on the AC belt tensioner pulley and not on the serpentine belt tension pulley. If you have a torx bolt on the serpentine belt tension pulley, not sure how it got there. At any rate, torx or allen, to remove tension to remove the belt is turning CLOCKWISE.