Alright.... I'm getting confused.

I got the new threaded rod in today and put everything back together. The problem is I cant get the tensioner to tighten. I'm able to move the pulley up and down by hand. Does this mean the pulley itself is shot?

Also on a another note, how does the threaded rod work? I've noticed that its reverse threaded. Should I be drawing the rod up, or forcing it downward to tighten it the pulley? I've got a 1991 300E with basically the same set up, and I still can't figure this out.

I didn't bother hooking the tension dampener back up. Does anyone know what purpose that thin serves? It was just hanging loose when I first took everything apart.