So, I finally got around to buying new drive belts for the ac compressor and power steering pulleys. $66.36 for the two from Norris Nissan(same as 350z belts). Anyway, after taking the 101 bolts off for the undercarriage cover and attempting to loosen the tensioner pulley, I hit a snag- neither of the tension bolts are budging. Whether I turn em right or left I get nothing. The service manual calls for 26 pounds torque for them so I can't understand why someone would have torqued them so drastically. I was tugging so hard that my ratchet slipped and I stripped the AC tensioner bolt. Did anyone else have this type of issue? And where do I go from here?

 

They may have been torqued correctly but have become stuck due to corrosion (water, road salt, etc). You should first get a good penetrating oil (Aerokroil is the best but hard to find) and soak both bolts down good. Next get a good 6 point socket of the correct size (don't try to get by with SAE sockets on Metric bolts) and try it again. If you strip that, you can try a bolt remover socket from SEARS that might work.

I have backed off many a stripped bolt with a good pair of "ViceGrip" pliers. It's ugly but it get's the job done.

 

A friend of mine and I replaced our belts a few months ago and had no issues. If you're having a hard time with bolts, I would suggest using a breaker bar instead of a ratchet to get them started. You will probably need to go to a parts store and get a bolt extractor kit, it will have specially grooved sockets that will grip the stripped head and give you leverage to get it out. Make sure you pick up a replacement bolt while you're there.

 

Will WD40 or PB Blaster work the same? Also, I tried both a 9/16 and 14mm socket with the 9/16 seeming to make a better fit. I began to wonder what would happen if I just lowered the tensioner pulley and replaced the old belt with the new... Any ideas?

 

did you remember to loosen the idler pulley nuts? The tension adjusting screws won't move until those nuts are loose

 

Bingo. Those tension bolts won't loosen until you break the pulley nuts loose.

 

Last night I went to Sears and got a breaker bar and a stripped bolt remover per TexasScouts advice. Sure enough the pulley bolt came right off. I changed my belts just in time by the looks of my old ones; they had several deep cracks in em. I'm glad they didn't explode on me and cause other issues. Thanks eveyone!

 

I use a 10 inch pipe that slides over my ratchet as a breaker bar. Its better than the hammer and ratchet approach. Glad to hear you got the bolt off.

 

One of the reasons I love this forum. I learned something new today. Thanks guys!