tensioner pulley

On my engine, in between the alternator and the pulley, iI have a middle tension pulley . The base , which sits in the alternator stand, has cracked. I'm looking into repalcing it. My question is, do I have to replace it or can I just use a shorter fan belt?



Thanks
Chris

chris, are you speaking of an aftermarket bmd pulley sys. or something similar? if so
you need to correct your issue. look on "thesamba.com" now, they are having a sale.
i would call them and explain your proplem. they are a mom/pop shop and i am sure
they would help. if you don't have a bmd pulley sys=never mind.

I suspect it is not a BMD. There are a couple of other makers of these kits, Scat and CB Performance comes to mind. At least one of them has had several reported failures of the castings for the tension pulley. BMD tensioners are machined out of a pretty robust chunk of aluminum, not a wimpy casting....I have 2 of them by BMD and I am pretty certain the tensioner would be about the last part of my engine to ever break.

But to the question as to using a shorter belt or replacing the part.....you gotta' replace the broken part.....

Thanks guys. I ended up ordering from CB, mainly because they sell the individual componants rather than jthe whole kit.