Twin Cam 8V Turbo timing belt tensioner tool - what do you guys use?

[entirelyturbo]

So how do you guys do timing belts on your Twin Cam engines (specifically an 8V Turbo engine in my case) without the special tool the workshop manual says you need?

A member of this forum (bugsymike) kindly took a picture of the appropriate workshop manual for me, and the workshop manual says you need this tool to set the tension on the belt:

I just did a timing belt on my 1991 Croma 2.0T i.e. and I'm afraid I didn't put enough tension on the belt. I tried as hard as I could to shove the tensioner against the belt with a pry bar before I tightened the bolt down but I don't think it was enough (the belt is walking on the tensioner)

Do you guys have the tools yourselves? Or how do you make do without them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bugsymike]

So how do you guys do timing belts on your Twin Cam engines (specifically an 8V Turbo engine in my case) without the special tool the workshop manual says you need?

View attachment 465853

A member of this forum (bugsymike) kindly took a picture of the appropriate workshop manual for me, and the workshop manual says you need this tool to set the tension on the belt:

View attachment 465854

I just did a timing belt on my 1991 Croma 2.0T i.e. and I'm afraid I didn't put enough tension on the belt. I tried as hard as I could to shove the tensioner against the belt with a pry bar before I tightened the bolt down but I don't think it was enough (the belt is walking on the tensioner)

Do you guys have the tools yourselves? Or how do you make do without them?

Thanks in advance!

We have already spoken on other posting, but I have seen cambelts extremely loose on engines with no signs of "walking".
Re the correct tool, in an ideal World it would be used, but in all honesty after fitting many belts on different makes of vehicles without tensioning tools, I have relied on "feel" and rechecking based on experience.
Modern tensioners have a pointer which is preloaded and after checking has to be with the arrows in correct position which seems to be a better solution for many vehicles.