Blacktop hydraulic tensioner not tensioning

[ATAl]

I've just installed the cambelt on my black top 4age but the hydraulic tensioner isn't putting very much pressure on the belt at all, the cam belt is jumping off the cam teeth.

The tensioner seems to be as far out as it'll go (about 1cm from the compressed position).

Is there any way to 'pump up' the tensioner?

[Bling]

is it new or are you reusing an old one?

[Mr Revhead]

its stuffed, get a new one
you should ALWAYS replace the tensioner when u do the belt on a black top
they will not last 200,000 kms

[matt dunn]

I found I only got one use of of them.

Put a new one on, pull the pin and it expands,
and if you needed to pull it of again,
had to get another.

I converted the hydro tensioner to mechanical.

[Bling]

Yeah only designed to work once. I guess that would be quite expensive on a race car that gets fiddled with.

Did you just put a silvertop one on Matt?

[ATAl]

It is a new one

But it did sit around for at least a year.

[ATAl]

Matt: What was involved in converting to the mechanical tensioner?

[Bling]

pulled the pin obviously?

[matt dunn]

Matt: What was involved in converting to the mechanical tensioner?

rip all the guts out and make a core for it that takes a threaded rod through the centre,

dad did mine, was few hours work,