former owner put on 3.4 pulley. i changed wp and see the tensioner is maxed out. i barely could wiggle belt off. not sure what length is on current belt. could be 1-2" longer in my opinion. should tensioner have a little play so it can absorb vibrations or should i just leave it since it does fit?

Which tensioner? the acc. or the SC.

that would be the sc belt that is too tight.

Having the belt too tight is not good IMHO it causes bearings to wear prematurely,is the outside idler pulley a 3" or a 3 1/2" ?

What length is the belt?

Is there any way for him to check? Does it have the length printed on the belt anywhere? I've never looked, so I don't know. If there's not, I don't think he's going to know.

the s/c ribbed idler and tensioner pulleys are 3" and the non-ribbed lower pully is 3.5"

Yes, the belt size is in the part number printed on the belt.

Alright, just making sure.

the s/c pulley is 3.5". i found a website that sells belts and they have a range of lengths depending on pulley size. i think stock is 60"? a dash-660 or something like that. i think my northstar has a 52" belt.

ZZP has a list of belt numbers: Serpentine belts Hope that helps!