idler pulley replacement

[john112deere]

'97 Ranger, 2.3L Lima 4-cylinder.

Trying to replace the idler pulley for the serpentine belt (the smooth one that's in a fixed position, not the grooved one on the tensioner).

Before I start reefing on it...does anybody know if the bolt holding it in place has standard (right-handed) threads, or is it a left-hand-thread?

Thanks!

 

[smokey]

Pretty sure it is standard thread. They aren't on that tight and break loose pretty easy.

 

[john112deere]

Yeah...it just felt a little "off" when I tried turning it out, so I figured I'd ask before I broke anything.

Thanks!

 

[73F100Shortbed]

It should be regular thread like Randy said. I think sometimes the bolts get a little corroded but it should come off. I've personally never had one break and I've had to put a bit of force on a few.

 

[Fordzilla80]

I just got done doing the belt tensioner on the 03, and I had to loosen up the idler pulley just to get some room to move the ratchet. The bolt is standard thread, but on my truck, it was about 6 feet longer than it needed to be, so I couldn't completely pull it out without removing the fan. Not sure how the 2.3 is setup, but I imagine it can't be that different.

 

[john112deere]

^^Must be different enough...I had room to take the whole thing out with a socket.

Turned real hard all the way out, but no different than other steel bolts in aluminum on this truck.


I can't see what's wrong with the bearings here, but I guess now that I've got it apart I'll replace 'em anyway.

 

[Blue Goose]

I can't see what's wrong with the bearings here, but I guess now that I've got it apart I'll replace 'em anyway.

Looks to me to have "260-odd thousand miles" worth of wear...

 

[john112deere]

Yeah, I reckon so...

 

[john112deere]

Looks to me to have "260-odd thousand miles" worth of wear...

Some quick, back-of-an-envelope math suggests that works out to somewhere on the order of one billion rotations for that bearing.

Guess I can't complain too much that it finally gave up the ghost, huh?

 

[Fordzilla80]

How long was the bolt?

The pulley looks similar, but since the bearings are open I can't tell for sure.

Those bearings look great!

lol.

 

[john112deere]

Inch and a half, maybe 2".

 

[Fordzilla80]

Inch and a half, maybe 2".

Hmm, that's about how long the bolt that held my idler pulley was. When I unbolted mine the pulley was touching the fan and I couldn't maneuver it out.