Thanks for the info Troopersphere. Sounds like you are a bit skeptical of Rufus' method for loosening the belt also. Hopefully someone else (or better yet him!) could shed some more light on the tensioner question.

I am still confused about the PS pump bracket. There is a bolt that penetrates from the head out to support the PS bracket. The only thing I have access to (that I can see) is the nut on the end of the bolt...so taking that nut off the threaded end still leaves the rest of the bolt that runs from outside the edge of the PS bracket into the head. I took that nut off, but the bracket itself does not want to slide off the end of that bolt so I can remove it. It seems like there is another bolt somewhere holding in place, but I have no idea where it is or how to access it?? You mentioned two bolts holding the bracket to the head...do you know where the second one is and how to get to it? I thought maybe the bracket is just rusted in place on the bolt, but I tried tapping it with wood and hammer to no effect.

The Trooper is in semi-retirement now, with a fairly recent timing belt, so I was thinking of leaving that alone for now....the water pump probably should be replaced though. Thanks for your help!