Sambar Stag

Hi, all. I have searched the archives and Audipages for the answer. My '98 A8 is in the process of replacing the ribbed belt. I was planning to just take off the fan and shroud to give me enough room to relax the tensioner and slip off the old and on with the new. I'm having trouble with the fan nut; with a rented universal holder tool and my Park bicycle headset wrench and help from my 19y/o son and a 4ft cheater pipe, I still can't get the nut loosened. Yes, I know it is reverse threaded. If I put the car in the service position, I know I can have room to work around the intact fan and shroud; but does anyone know If this job is doable in the normal position? Thanks

S8ilver

I could get the tensioner from the bottom, with the bumper pulled slightly forward (removed the two large bolts). I didn't touch the fan.

hillpc

I was able to install a new belt without service position (after I cut the old belt off), but the tensioner was so seized (sitting for 4 years) that I rigged up a turnbuckle to pull on the wrench to get it loosened enough. Luckily the tensioner still seems to work. Maybe service position would have been easier, instead of all the trial and error.

Sambar Stag

Well, we got it done. Tried for quite a while to get something on that 13mm tensioner bolt without success. A shot of Kroil penetrating spray the night before on the nut, along with a borrowed 1 1/4" wrench, the holder tool from underneath the car and some well placed hammer blows resulted in that fan coming off. With it and the shroud out it was easy to get a 1/2 breaker bar on the nut, remove the belt and replace with new. And I put a little antisieze on that #!%* nut so I could get it off next time.