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idler pulley shreaded today

2K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  Big K 
#1 ·
SO I am heading down the mountain to do some shopping with the family and the wife is driving the truck for the first time with the new DI tunes. She loved them.

About 30 miles from home near the bottom of the mountain this loud sqeel starts up. Luckily we were right at a turn out and stopped the truck and shut it off. I looked at the belt and it was good but when I looked down at the lowest idler pulley on the passengers side I noticed it was a little off axis. Then I put my hand down there and felt it was scorching hot. Then I looked closer at it and the center of it was all shreaded with sharp metal peels near the bolt.

So I go to call AAA and I have no cell service. We had to walk over 2 miles before I could make a call and with weekend traffic leaving Big Bear, the walk on the road was skeatchy but we made it.

Has anyone ever had an idler pulley just fail with no signs? There has never been a squeek or anything up until it just failed. Oh well it happens. But I do have to say this is only the second time the truck has let me down with the first time being a CPS. I guess I cant complain about that.

I guess tomorrow I get to call around and get the part I need and maybe I will just change all of them.
 
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#2 ·
Had both of mine go out but I had the signs of the break going to happen. The first one i drove 100+ miles on the trip and the pulley locked up and broke my cb right after i pulled in the driveway!
 
#4 ·
what are the signs it is going out? the other day I heard a big screech and it seems like i lost turbo boost...you think mine is going out?
 
#5 ·
Pull the belt off and give everything a spin. If they sound rough, or they can rock back and forth, you should prolly get new ones.

The idler pulleys are cheap, less than $30 each IIRC.

Dave
 
#7 ·
I don't remember how much the idler pulley I got was but like Dave said it was no more than $30.

I was driving on a country road and started hearing a squeeking and wondered "What the heck is it now?" Got out and looked, didn't see anything out of the norm but I wasn't familiar with how everything looked. Continued to my destination then drove back home probably driving with it squeeking 35 miles? Just to figure out the idler pulley bearing had completely melted/fell apart and the pulley was cutting into the tensioner.
 
#8 ·
Yours is 8 rib correct? Check out Gates # 38053 (can get them at NAPA); steel 8 rib, 76mm OD, 17mm bearing bore. (I actually used one of these on my 7 rib set up with a .100 shim behind it to get the alignment correct.) It should fit well with no changes on your set up.
 
#10 ·
Yeap, it happens...they can go from GOING out to OUT in 2 seconds flat LOL

I drove on one making noise for over 100 miles:doh: finally it went out COMPLETELY and shredded the belt..

New Belt, T-55 to Change it and New Pulley and back on the road :doh:

This can happen to the TENSIONER and any of the Idler Pulley's
 
#13 ·
I went to install the new idler and the bushing on the bolt was melted and could not be reused. Called up NAPA and they told me they cant get that part. Looks like a trip to Sunrise Ford tomorrow... Oh well.
 
#14 ·
I lost that same pulley last summer. I was going down the interstate and heard a noise under the hood then felt a thump under the truck. I looked in my mirror in time to see my idler pulley bouncing down the interstate. Luckly I was right at a rest area so I pulled in and call AAA. It gave no indication that it was going bad.
 
#18 ·
nope. On my idler there is about a half inch hole in the center of it. The bolt is only about 3/16 and needs a bushing to fill the void. my truck is at my dads house up the street and I will get pics of the parts later today or tomorrow.
 
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