Offset Engine?

Watching my 94 5.0 idling today, I noted the tensioner was moving a very small amount, back and forth, about 1/16" on the dial-in drum, maybe a bit more now and then. Wondering what could be causing that and is it normal?

One other thing: the engine sits a good 2" off center toward the RH side. What's up with that? imp

90sickfox said:

The idler moving is normal and that's why it is designed to do. The spring in the tensioner dampens crank pulley pulses from the crank shaft to keep steady pressure on the belt.

The offset engine ....um....

The engine does not sit completely centered from the factory. However, a bad engine mount or transmission mount can cause this. Two inches seems like a lot.

My car has and aftermarket k member ( AJE ) and I shifted the engine a little more to the right to gain some clearance on the left side.

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@90sickfox
That's an interesting thought! I picture those pulses as being extremely rapid and timed so close together that the eye could not see them. OTOH, I wondered as I watched the tensioner move back and forth, at a slow rate, like a second or two stationary between movements, what could be alternately changing the load on the belt so much. 90" belts must stretch enough to allow such tensioner movement. Trying to not let this make me nuts, like everything else does!

The engine mounts seem sound enough. With an automatic, it's easy to check them, half-throttle in gear, holding brakes, eng. lifts up. Had a Chevy in the ARCO station, customer had experienced loud bumping under the hood. I put it in gear, hood open, to drive forward a few feet, eng. jumped up frighteningly! Air cleaner had been hitting the underside of the hood. A TBS came around regarding chains as a temporary fix; new mounts later had protective means built in to cover rubber bond separations. imp