The Idler pulley must have seized (?) and broken last night as it is no longer present and fell off behind the car. Got the car home and did some investigation to see what could have caused it and all the other pulleys seem fine to me:
-Alternator Pulley spins freely counter-clockwise, doesn't spin clockwise with screwdriver in alternator fan blades
-Power Steering Pulley spins freely with little resistance
-Tensioner pulley spins freely with little resistance
-AC Compressor Pulley Spins freely with little resistance
-Idler Pulley is no longer present
-Crankshaft pulley does not spin at all. I assume it will only spin when the engine is turning?
So I am looking at replacing the Idler Pulley. Do I need any special tools for this? It seems like the bolt that held it on has a strange recessed star head. Also I've heard the Alternator Pulley is something to watch to go on ALH cars and mine is approaching 170,000 miles. Should I replace it while i'm in there or give it time? $70 is sort of pricey for the alt pulley plus the tools unless I need them anyways. Does the Idler Pulley need to be removed to replace the Alt Pulley?
Any ideas on why the Idler Pulley would have exploded? Should I replace the Alternator Pulley now along with the Idler Pulley even though it seems to be ok as above? Would this have effect the belt tensioner, and is there anyway to check to be sure it is ok?
thanks!
-Anthony
-Alternator Pulley spins freely counter-clockwise, doesn't spin clockwise with screwdriver in alternator fan blades
-Power Steering Pulley spins freely with little resistance
-Tensioner pulley spins freely with little resistance
-AC Compressor Pulley Spins freely with little resistance
-Idler Pulley is no longer present
-Crankshaft pulley does not spin at all. I assume it will only spin when the engine is turning?
So I am looking at replacing the Idler Pulley. Do I need any special tools for this? It seems like the bolt that held it on has a strange recessed star head. Also I've heard the Alternator Pulley is something to watch to go on ALH cars and mine is approaching 170,000 miles. Should I replace it while i'm in there or give it time? $70 is sort of pricey for the alt pulley plus the tools unless I need them anyways. Does the Idler Pulley need to be removed to replace the Alt Pulley?
Any ideas on why the Idler Pulley would have exploded? Should I replace the Alternator Pulley now along with the Idler Pulley even though it seems to be ok as above? Would this have effect the belt tensioner, and is there anyway to check to be sure it is ok?
thanks!
-Anthony