February 27, 200719 yr I'm changing the v-belts on my 92 loyale and wanted to replace the idler pully as well. I brought the one I took off the car to the Napa warehouse, and it didn't match what they had listed. The one they had looked like it was for the timing belts. Napa ended up telling me to check at the dealer because the didn't carry it. I checked Advaced and Autozone online with no luck. I did some searching here and it doesn't seem like an unusual thing to replace. Here is a pic just to make sure. So is this a dealer only item?
February 27, 200719 yr This was my first "fix" on my Subie right after I had bought it! Belt tensioner pulley bearing went south and made a horrible squealing sound whenever the car was running. I ended up having to remove the bearing from the pulley and bring it to a local bearing & seal supplier to match it up for a new one. Just use a large phillips screwdriver to remove the pulley from the bracket and then a large socket to tap out the bearing from the pulley. I think the bearing itself was only $4-$5.
February 27, 200719 yr ...I ended up having to remove the bearing from the pulley and bring it to a local bearing & seal supplier to match it up for a new one. Just use a large phillips screwdriver to remove the pulley from the bracket and then a large socket to tap out the bearing from the pulley. I think the bearing itself was only $4-$5. This is Exactly what I`ve Done, is an Easy Fix, and a Good Quality Bearin` will last longer than a Used Pulley from a Junkyard.
February 27, 200719 yr Author Hmm, interesting solutions. Not exactly the route I was thinking, but thank you none the less. Would this be something a bearing shop would have in stock? And let me ask this, If I spin the bearing in my hand, should it make a slight "Whirring" noise? There is no side to side movement if I push on the pully, everthing seems stable. What would tell me if this is a bad bearing?
February 27, 200719 yr Dealership should be able to get them for you too. Tha last time I bought a set I think they were about $40 each. Tim
February 28, 200719 yr Hmm, interesting solutions. Not exactly the route I was thinking, but thank you none the less. Would this be something a bearing shop would have in stock? And let me ask this, If I spin the bearing in my hand, should it make a slight "Whirring" noise? There is no side to side movement if I push on the pully, everthing seems stable. What would tell me if this is a bad bearing? Whirring is not good, but play in the bearing is worse. Whirring, it depends how bad it whirrs.... and thats nothing that I can really help you with over the internet.. can you "feel" the whirring noise with the finger youre holding the bearing with? it is possible that your bearing could give you a lot more service before finally going or it might blow any time.. hard to tell, sorry. Many of us simply pick up a spare belt tensioner and keep it in our trunks. You might just want to wash the bearing out with some WD-40, and lube it up really well with some grease (I mean PACK it in there, spin it to distribute it around the balls and races, and then pack some more) and possibly adopt the same policy.. BUT the bearings are cheap. shouldn't set you back ten bucks. and most bearing places will have it, thats what they are there for.
February 28, 200719 yr Dealership should be able to get them for you too. Tha last time I bought a set I think they were about $40 each. Tim You're thinking of the Timing belt tensioner, if you bought a "set" There is only one pulley for the V-belt
February 28, 200719 yr ^ You are correct, I just did a quick glance at the pic. As a guess, I couldn't see the V belt pully costing substantialy more. Later, tim
March 26, 200719 yr I took my bad idler to a NAPA they pulled out the trusty calipers and had me a new bearing in minutes, I think it was either $12 or $9.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now