Yes, very interesting topic!!
Last summer I had a
BAD experience with the serpentine belt tensioner. It was getting very NOISY.. screeching actually. Was about to get the "pulley" replaced but put it off for two weeks. An appointment was made, however 1-1/2 days before the service visit,
the tensioner bearing FAILED (froze up) and the belt came off. It was so frozen, I couldn't turn the pulley by hand at all. See photo below.
Here is a photo of the
FAILED bearing. The pulley is cocked sideways.
A replacement pulley bearing wasn't expensive at all, and you'd be surprised
how much QUIETER the engine was with a new one. It was like a new engine!
What also helped was a high-tech
Goodyear Gator belt which runs quiet and resists cracking on the inside ridges.
Below is the NEW tensioner bearing and belt installed.
Again I
couldn't believe how QUIET the engine idled after this fix!!!
Should have had that item replaced a LONG time ago.. or at least two weeks sooner.
Notice the variable "block width" on the belt.. it's like low-noise tire technology. Lol
In this case I recommend ditching the OE belt.
-Ed