[zekenator]

Hi all, I have a 96 Caprice Classic with the LT1 that I have loaned to my Dad. It has the towing package with HD cooling, i.e. has a mechanical fan in addition to the electric one. He is changing the A/C compressor and found that the drive belt tensioner for the mechanical fan is bad. He has been unable to find a new one. This is NOT the accessory drive belt tensioner, it is for the mechanical fan belt.

Anyone have any advice/tips/point me somewhere?

Thanks in advance.

 

[1Slammed96SS]

Here you go:

93-97 LT1 Camaro Trans Am 94-96 Impala Accessory Belt Tensioner w/ Pulley GATES | eBay

93-97 LT1 V8 Camaro. 94-96 LT1 Impala. 93-97 LT1 V8 Firebird/Trans Am.

www.ebay.com

 

[The Lazy Destroyer]

Here you go:

93-97 LT1 Camaro Trans Am 94-96 Impala Accessory Belt Tensioner w/ Pulley GATES | eBay

93-97 LT1 V8 Camaro. 94-96 LT1 Impala. 93-97 LT1 V8 Firebird/Trans Am.

www.ebay.com

That looks like the standard LT1 serpentine belt tensioner, not the mechanical fan belt tensioner.

PN for it I think is 10186118
But it has been hard to find.

 

[Z09B4U]

From searching "mechanical fan tensioner" I found these threads on the first page.

Mech Fan tensioner PN?

The bearing in my '94 RMW's mechanical fan tensioner is on its way out. Autozone, PepBoys and Advance do not carry the part, the local GM dealership says $70 for the tensioner assembly adn doesn't stock it. Napa may have it but no guarrantees. Anybody got a part number or a source?

www.impalassforum.com

Mechanical fan idler pulley replacement

I can't be the only one to have a bad bearing in the idler for the mechanical fan. Of course, both the idler and the pulley are long since discontinued. I came up with a solution after a lot of research. The original 4 groove pulley is 64mm. There are no pulleys made by anyone that are...

www.impalassforum.com

The search has more possibilities.

 

[sherlock9c1]

They're unobtanium, unfortunately. For now, just leave the belt off and you'll be OK, especially if you're not towing with it.

 

[Z09B4U]

If the issue is the bearing and not the tension spring it is possible to just replace the bearing:

 

[The Lazy Destroyer]

Wild that searching for this thread, I came upon one of my posts looking for a tensioner back in 2016. I had totally forgotten, but I couldn’t locate one using all the traditional methods. So even back then they were tricky to find.

I ended up buying one from Fred Kehl on the forum here.
Might be your best bet, hitting up the forum for sale sections for someone that has an old one laying around after a electric conversion. Or has access to a decent junkyard source.
Hopefully it’s just a bearing which makes repair much easier … and probably gets you a better bearing assembly than something that’s been sitting for ages in a yard.

 

[1Slammed96SS]

Hey zekenator, I PM’d you. Look at your private messages.