[TheBlizzard]

You should not be able to push the rod in by hand. When I had to pull mine off once I have to put it in a C-clamp and put the clip back in. And that was on a brand new Mitsu tensioner.

For reference when you get the tensioner pulley set and the belt is all lined up you should be able to put the little key back in the tensioner like it was when it was it was clamped down. I don't think a lot of people do this but Steve Hill showed me this and it seemed to be a good reference point of making sure its right on the nuts. The only think you are going to have to be careful of when reinstalling is getting the tensioner pulley set right. The two little holes on the outside of it will end up and the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock position roughly when you are finished. There is also a tool for this that will make your life easier. It has two rods that fit in the whole and goes on a wrench, that way you can adjust it to get it perfect.

Good luck.

CRAIG