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Message: <blockquote data-quote="someotherguy" data-source="post: 20953" data-attributes="member: 6178">I diagnosed a bad (NEW) tensioner that way, years ago, when I had my shop/salvage yard.  Customer came to me looking for an R-4 A/C compressor.  I strongly resisted selling him a used compressor because I couldn't guarantee it; even "new" (rebuilts) are a crapshoot with those.  He said he was really down on his money and just trying to get his A/C fixed; says his existing compressor sounded like it was going to grenade.  I relented, and pulled a compressor off a parts truck that still had working A/C so we could at least confirm it was working, and not noisy.He goes home and installs it, then brings me the truck because it's still making a horrendous noise up front.  Sounded exactly like a bad A/C compressor.  He saw me test and remove the one I gave him, so he didn't suspect the compressor, but was at a loss for why it sounded bad.  I observed under the hood while the A/C clutch engaged/disengaged.  When engaged, the compressor seemingly was making the classic "I'm gonna splode" noise, but his brand new tensioner had also started oscillating, jumping around like crazy.I *carefully* wedged a tool (IIRC an old broom handle, maybe a breaker bar? been years) against the arm on the tensioner and all the noise went away.  Pulled his new Dayco-style tensioner off, swapped it for a serviceable used OEM Gates.  Everything quiet up front now.  Told him go get your money back on this junk tensioner; it had you replace your compressor for nothing.  I didn't feel the need to point out the obvious, that he failed to diagnose it properly before going to the effort.  At least he had minimal investment in the used compressor, and I gave him the tensioner and my less-than-1hr. labor for free.  I can recognize when someone is truly down on their luck, and those are parts I usually wouldn't sell used, anyway.Richard</blockquote>