Idler pulley

[robbyaube]

Hi,
Can anyone provide me with some info on replacing the idler pulley? I've got a squeak coming from the serpentine belt area and im hoping it's just that one... from what i read it's not too hard but I've failed to find details / image of how to loosen the tension to slack off the belt... And once any repair is done, is there a process to bring it back to the correct tension or does it tighten itself to the proper tenstion?

Also, is it safe to run the van briefly with the belt off so I can make sure it's not the motor squeaking?

Thanks all!!

Robby

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by robbyaube

Hi,
Can anyone provide me with some info on replacing the idler pulley? I've got a squeak coming from the serpentine belt area and im hoping it's just that one... from what i read it's not too hard but I've failed to find details / image of how to loosen the tension to slack off the belt... And once any repair is done, is there a process to bring it back to the correct tension or does it tighten itself to the proper tenstion?

Also, is it safe to run the van briefly with the belt off so I can make sure it's not the motor squeaking?

Thanks all!!

Robby

The belt tensioner has a square hole in it that will fit a 3/8 inch drive ratchet really nice. So you put the ratchet in it with the goal of lifting the tensioner up towards the rear of the vehicle. Once up, you peel the belt off one of the pulleys and lower the tensioner back down again. You should note how the belt is routed, or look to make sure there is a routing diagram before you remove it. You should be able to run a cold engine for a couple of minutes without worrying about it overheating, but remember that the water pump is not circulating the water without the belt on.

[robbyaube]

That sounds easy enough... Is this a common part that fails or are there other culprits in that system that could cause that squeak?