finally consulted my manual. it seems that tensioner bolt/nut should only be torqued 33 ft-lbs. I'm pretty sure I pulled on it pretty good with the 3/8" drive ratchet. I probably torqued it 2 - 3 times more than it should have been torqued. i'll loosen that down to 33 ft-lbs or so and see if that loosens things up in there a bit.