99 454 belt tensioner-discontinued?

[brwn70gmc]

I have a 1999 K2500 Suburban with a 454 and a cannot find a belt tensioner anywhere. It DOES have the air pump and everywhere I check they say it's discontinued. The GM part # is 10237275 Any ideas?

[truckdude239]

I will look at work it cant be totally discountied as there are alot of these trucks out there the gm one maybe discounied but thereare several aftermarket companies making them

[truckdude239]

Di you need jsut a pully or the whole assembly?

[truckdude239]

I got one company that list the tenisor under part number 10237275 but they d not have it

[brwn70gmc]

I need the tensioner. The pulley itself is fine and readily available, but so far I've had no luck finding the tensioner itself...anywhere. Scouring wrecking yards now

[brwn70gmc]

wow, this thing is unbelievably hard to find. Anyone ever found one on any site? I was thinking about Canadian GM dealers? eh

[truckdude239]

Did you ever find one

[brwn70gmc]

no, I tried one from Summit Racing they said would fit, but no luck...running out of ideas, pretty disappointed in GM.

[AshmanGMC]

Have you tried any of the places listed on this site?

http://oemcats.com/oem-parts/10237275.html

[95 S_Trucker]

There's one on ebay, kind of salty...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-10237275-...6a37b8&vxp=mtr

Do you have emissions inspections where you live? I am not a fan of removing emissions components, but it might make sense to remove the air pump, and put a conventional belt and tensioner on the truck. There are tons and tons of vortec 454s that don't have air pumps. And what happens in 5-10 years when the belt tensioner fails again?

[truckdude239]

Originally Posted by 95 S_Trucker

There's one on ebay, kind of salty...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-10237275-...6a37b8&vxp=mtr

Do you have emissions inspections where you live? I am not a fan of removing emissions components, but it might make sense to remove the air pump, and put a conventional belt and tensioner on the truck. There are tons and tons of vortec 454s that don't have air pumps. And what happens in 5-10 years when the belt tensioner fails again?

down fall i see to removing the air pump is this is an obd2 vehicle it will set an engine light

[brwn70gmc]

I might just have to go with the Ebay replacement option. I just cant believe out of all the applications, k2500, k3500, that a wrecking yard doesn't have one. I assume this is originally a California truck so I'm looking for any help in searching yards in that area. I've got a request out on Row52 for help.

[AshmanGMC]

This link shows two places in the Seattle area that are supposed to have your part.

http://oemcats.com/oem-parts/10237275.html

[brwn70gmc]

I did check that site listing several GM dealers that have the part, but that's false. I spoke to several dealers in my area, and they're are all on the same database indicating this part is unavailable nationwide. My question is, since this part was discontinued by GM in Sept 2014, where did the existing parts sitting on the parts shelf go? and is there a database for that? I'd sure like to find a new OEM part in the box.
I can find parts for my old 1970 easier than this...

[truckdude239]

the dealers sell them out then dont restock them

[Jeff Tuch]

I'm having the same issues locating one of these for my 2000 K2500 4x4. I did find 2 of them at PNP on Stockton Blvd in Sacramento. Both units were broken in the same spot as the one on my truck. It appears that the "pin" in the cast aluminum or pot metal spring retainer cap cracks or shears off after the plastic receiver stretches or strips out. So that makes 3 tensioners I've seen with the exact same failure. Weak design to say the least.
I purchased the damaged ones for $13 from the junkyard. Figured I would play around with them and see what I could come up with. I'm going to try and TIG one of the cracked caps back together tomorrow after work but I have my doubts as to the purity of said aluminum in the cap. Option 2 will be to build my own tensioner either similar to the one listed on ebay or a custom design like the way an alternator tensions a v belt on a 350 for example.
We'll see what happens as my truck has been sitting for 3 weeks now. I will report back with my progress.
Here are pics of the suspected failure though I'm sure most of you have already figured it out:

[brwn70gmc]

That's exactly where mine failed also. I ordered the replacement, home-fabricated, part on Ebay which I hope will get me moving again. Look up a Hayden #5899 tensioner. It actually lists our vehicles as fitting. I discovered it was close, but wouldn't fit. The tensioner seemed too "thick" and the pulley was too large, but that's easily swapped.
If your looking to fab your own, this Hayden tensioner is a good start. Good luck and if it works, I'll buy one.

[38synergy]

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[Jeff Tuch]

Originally Posted by 38synergy

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To clarify... I'm not selling anything. Just trying to provide a little tech and share my take on this problem. I was able to TIG the pin and cracked spring cover back together. Will clean it up with the die grinder when I get home from work. I'll post up the outcome later. Thanks.

[truckdude239]

Originally Posted by Jeff Tuch

To clarify... I'm not selling anything. Just trying to provide a little tech and share my take on this problem. I was able to TIG the pin and cracked spring cover back together. Will clean it up with the die grinder when I get home from work. I'll post up the outcome later. Thanks.

that was not for you that post was edited as he was trying to sell his homemade tenisor

[Jeff Tuch]

So far so good. After a little die grinder action and bench testing the tensioner about 20 times in my vice I reinstalled it on the truck tonight. I let it idle for a while in the driveway and then went for a 1/2 hour test drive (good thing gas is cheap right now). Seems to be working good. Time will tell how long it holds but I'm pretty optimistic.
I was lucky that the plastic inside the tensioner from the junkyard was in good shape otherwise it would have been a lost cause. I saved the other broken cap and pin and will TIG it up as a spare until hopefully the Aftermarket steps up.
Brwn70GMC did you get your replacement yet? I'm curious about the fit up, quality, etc. It appears to be a good option too.

[brwn70gmc]

I'm expecting the part anyday now. Your tig job looks good. Good luck. I'll advise when I install my ebay fix-er.

On a different note, Im looking at 2003 6.0l Any thoughts?

[Jeff Tuch]

Well one plus is belt tensioners are available for them. I've driven a couple at work and a friend has a 6.0 in his 69 Jeepster Commando. Strong motors for sure and they don't have the injector issues like the 7.4. I've heard of some finicky dash controls and electronic gauge illumination issues with those trucks but if you look hard enough you can find something wrong with any truck. It's what makes em trucks right? If the truck is clean and well maintained I'd go for it.

[brwn70gmc]

Got my tensioner part, will install it Monday and we'll see if it flies. My 7.4 must have injector issues, it does idle rough. I thought it would improve after intake gaskets but continues to idle horrible. Might trade it in on the 6.0 crew cab.

[38synergy]

Please let everyone on this forum know how it works. Take a look at the knock sensor. Wayne 38synergy@gmail.com