Tensioner and idler pulley
- Thread starter Alxmarquez23
- Start date
Most auto parts stores carry the Gates tensioners and they are a good quality.
I went with a mopar tensioner from quadratec and a dorman 419-610 (metal) pulley off amazon.
Gates has bundles too with both pieces plus a belt, I almost did that but I wanted the mopar tensioner, even though it might be made by gates.
I cant speak to autozone.
Gates has bundles too with both pieces plus a belt, I almost did that but I wanted the mopar tensioner, even though it might be made by gates.
I cant speak to autozone.
OP
Nordic
TJ Enthusiast
I got the gates idler, tensioner, and a new serpentine belt from O'Reillys a couple days ago. They were a little more expensive than you find them online, but when you buy all three together from O'Reillys it upgrades the warranty to a lifetime warranty on all three parts.
OP
Nordic
TJ Enthusiast
T40 torx. It'll strip easily so you may need to use vice grips to get it out.
OP
I just replaced the idler pulley on our 2005 4.0L yesterday. The Gates 38043 — listed everywhere (RockAuto, Autozone, O'Reilly's) as correct for the 2005 4.0L (among others) DOES NOT FIT. The design on these has apparently changed, and the face of the pulley is no longer a shallow dish — it has a very small opening for the bolt and washer. The OEM idler pulley has a shouldered spacer that attaches from the rear and essentially takes all of the play out of the pulley. The OEM bolt and washer fit into the shallow dish of the pulley face and cover the bearing. The Gates 38043 WILL NOT ALLOW THE OEM WASHER TO SEAT — so if you tighten the bolt, it seizes the pulley. The Gates pulley comes with a bushing that fits into the pulley face to accept the OEM bolt, but then the shoulder on the spacer pushes the pulley out and it now has back and forth play.
Long story short — do NOT use the Gates 38043 — the AC Delco with the same part number looks to be the same part.
Long story short — do NOT use the Gates 38043 — the AC Delco with the same part number looks to be the same part.
If you have the time and the tools, save yourself a little $$ and just press out the bearing from your OEM pulley. Timken still makes the 6203-2RS bearing in the US. Can press it out with a 1 1/16" impact socket and a bench vise. Costs about 1/2 the price of a replacement pulley.
As usual, mine was demonstrating signs of imminent failure. Since nobody stocks Mopar parts around me I'm usually faced with replacing something with an inferior part just to get it back on the road.
I put the Gates 38163 tensioner assembly on my 4.0 back in June. Under $40 at Amazon. It's been working great with no issues. I figured that with over 160k miles on mine and the belt needed replacing anyway, just go for the whole assembly.
I put the same tensioner on yesterday. Fit and function is great. Just referring to the idler pulley — it will not work on the later 4.0L. Not sure if it will fit earlier, but if it's held on by the large dished washer and bolt — it won't fit.
I just bought the Gates idler pulley from O'Reilly's . I will install it tonight - I will reply again if I run into any issues. I had a loud screech upon starting that usually stopped after a minute but would occasionally continue. Sometimes I will go a ways and it will begin again. The dude diagnosed that the tension was between the two line (handy indicators - go Jeep!), that maybe a bearing had a spur or gap that occasionally caught, stopping the pulley, and causing the screech. He based that on some belt residue on the pulley along with my descriptions. At $12 with tax, a Gates pulley seemed like a no brainer. Even if it wasn't the bearings, I will have that peace of mind. According to him the tensioner pulley is based on a spring and looked within limits, and no way to adjust that as it is an internal spring. I figure it could be the belt slipping, but probably not since the spring is withing limits. I replaced the belt last year out of precaution as it looked worn and cracked. That leave the idler pulley which looked alright except for the residues. Again, I will add to this if I continue to encounter the issue after I install the new idler pulley.
The Gates idler pulley has been redesigned — from the one I've held in my hand they won't work. You can't replace the factory washer/spacer on the front because the opening is too small. The bushing that comes with the Gates is too deep to use. It was a complete no-go for me.
I installed the Gates last night. Advertised as OE, it is disappointingly not. While the pulley is the right size, the face (away from the block) has a more angled curve that does not allow the washer to fit flush. With that washer I would have had only a quarter inch of bolt going into the block. My mechanic father-in-law advised that the washer is really just a dust cover to keep out junk. There is a smaller washer between the bolt and pulley. I left off the large dust cover washer and had a good half inch of bolt going into the block. I did not use the bushing. My screeching issue is fixed and I'm happy enough. If I did it again I would try to find an actual OE part, but this will work.
Started this morning with the squeel again but it went away in a couple minutes. After work it was even worse. Didn't go away until highway speed. Replaced the tensioner pulley (pulley only as the tensioner is well within bounds). Got the squeel again. Almost sounds like it's from the alternator above the other two. Any guesses? Taking it to my father-in'law tomorrow if I can't deal with it myself.