Tensioner pulley compatibility
#1
10-22-2016 | 09:17 PM
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Tensioner pulley compatibility
I was getting ready to do all the belt idler pulley bearings, had all the bearings I needed come in, and as I took the pulleys off I realized the accessory belt pulleys are both plastic, and therefore have lips keeping the bearings captive. Naturally, these are the two that are in the most need of replacement...
After some digging around, I've found that the gates 38028 seems to be the replacement for the fixed idler pulley. There's not any info for replacing the plastic pulley on the tensioner itself that I could find. Will the same gates pulley work for replacing the accessory tensioner pulley, or is there a different one that I need to use to fit there?
After some digging around, I've found that the gates 38028 seems to be the replacement for the fixed idler pulley. There's not any info for replacing the plastic pulley on the tensioner itself that I could find. Will the same gates pulley work for replacing the accessory tensioner pulley, or is there a different one that I need to use to fit there?
#2
10-22-2016 | 10:21 PM
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I think that lip may be compacted dirt instead of a lip. I'm pretty sure it presses out. I used...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...TF8&psc=1...on my fixed pulley. But, a complete new tensioner isn't a bad idea considering its age.
Last edited by Highhorse; 10-22-2016 at 10:24 PM.
#3
10-23-2016 | 06:11 AM
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#4
10-23-2016 | 04:55 PM
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Cool, I know the gates steel pulley has a wider surface to make up for the lip the plastic pulley has. Since the tensioner pulley is narrow/lacks a lip, I wasn't sure about issues with clearances.
The plastic pulleys do indeed trap the bearings, on the steel pulleys the bearing can be pressed out. I tried pressing the bearing out anyway in hopes of breaking the lip, but the pulley started to splay out before even getting close to the bearing coming free. I'll just get a pair of those gates pulleys and go from there.
The plastic pulleys do indeed trap the bearings, on the steel pulleys the bearing can be pressed out. I tried pressing the bearing out anyway in hopes of breaking the lip, but the pulley started to splay out before even getting close to the bearing coming free. I'll just get a pair of those gates pulleys and go from there.
#5
10-25-2016 | 06:14 PM
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A bit of an update, in case others search in the future:
Got my 2x Gates 38028 pulleys in today. The pulleys fit in BOTH the fixed idler and the accessory tensioner. The only thing you need to do is remove the dust shield on the tensioner bolt, if you are coming from plastic pulleys (it's just a special shaped washer). The pulleys have some non-branded bearings, and both pulleys seemed to be slightly out of round, not enough to be noticeable when installed though.
However, the pulley body did not have any "lip" for the bearing to be pressed against when pressed in, so if doing a DIY on these in the future, it will be much more tricky than doing a pulley which does have a lip. To make it even more difficult, the back of the bore that the bearing is inside of, is not cut square. So, if you wanted to press in yourself, it's press and watch until the bearing reaches the lowest point on the bore. There would be no way to press the center bore against a flat surface and stop the bearing where it needed to go. I guess that's what you get with a $15 pulley.
Also, the pulley that went on the tensioner squealed incredibly loud when first installed. Swapping it with the old pulley showed it was indeed that pulley, and swapping the quiet idler and squeaky tensioner pulleys, still caused the tensioner pulley to squeal. I guess it just is under much more stress than the idler. It quieted down after several minutes, so I will see if it is a bearing issue or just break in, later on in the week.
Got my 2x Gates 38028 pulleys in today. The pulleys fit in BOTH the fixed idler and the accessory tensioner. The only thing you need to do is remove the dust shield on the tensioner bolt, if you are coming from plastic pulleys (it's just a special shaped washer). The pulleys have some non-branded bearings, and both pulleys seemed to be slightly out of round, not enough to be noticeable when installed though.
However, the pulley body did not have any "lip" for the bearing to be pressed against when pressed in, so if doing a DIY on these in the future, it will be much more tricky than doing a pulley which does have a lip. To make it even more difficult, the back of the bore that the bearing is inside of, is not cut square. So, if you wanted to press in yourself, it's press and watch until the bearing reaches the lowest point on the bore. There would be no way to press the center bore against a flat surface and stop the bearing where it needed to go. I guess that's what you get with a $15 pulley.
Also, the pulley that went on the tensioner squealed incredibly loud when first installed. Swapping it with the old pulley showed it was indeed that pulley, and swapping the quiet idler and squeaky tensioner pulleys, still caused the tensioner pulley to squeal. I guess it just is under much more stress than the idler. It quieted down after several minutes, so I will see if it is a bearing issue or just break in, later on in the week.