Idler Pulley Spring on Bolt

[Tiger98]

I'm trying to put my idler pulley back on and am having trouble because instead of just being a bolt like the tensioner pulley, it has a spring around it. The bolt itself is too small for the hole in the idler bracket without the spring.

I only found this out because I had loosened the idler pulley to get a new belt on and when I was trying to tighten it back up I saw some metal shavings fall and it wouldn't tighten like the tensioner did so I backed it out and noticed that there was a spring around it.

I haven't seen a spring on the bolt in any of the videos I've watched on the process or seen it mentioned in forums so I'm not sure how this was on and snug before and if it can be again or I need to get a different bolt.

 

[Tiger98]

I think I either need a new idler pulley bracket or some way to rethread it because it's stripped. I don't know that there was supposed to be a spring on it. It seems like maybe that was a POs addition.

 

[Mike_H]

That isn’t a spring around that bolt…it’s the aluminum threads that have been pulled out of that bracket. Time to go shopping for a new used part.

 

[Tiger98]

The bolt that has the threads around it is too small for the pulley. It's not snug like the one for the tensioner is and that one is a 15mm whereas the idler bolt is a 14. That's why I was thinking they put those threads on there, because it's too small

 

[Tiger98]

Well, I got it fixed at least for now. I had to get the threads off the bolt and put them in the bracket so they were about flush and then put the pulley back on. I have a new belt and tensioner and when I fired it up no more squeaking so that's good! Do you know a good place to find an idler bracket? They seemed hard to find from the usual places I look. I think I saw a handful on ebay but they were all for the power steering side I think, as power steering was in the title. So I don't think it was the idler next to the ac compressor like I need.

 

[macleanflood]

You could use a helicoil...

-Mac

 

[Tiger98]

You could use a helicoil...

-Mac

I think maybe that's what was on there or something similar. Same concept anyway. I could probably get one that matches the bracket hole and bolt better. I also ended up finding some brackets on ebay. Apparently I had to search for the ac/alternator bracket because searching idler bracket only showed me the power steering side.

I'll probably go with the helicoil option for what I think is an m10-1.5x40 bolt