Same EXACT problem with my Tensioner pulley and you have the ONLY VIDEO available that I could find. Thank you very much and thanks for all the details.
I like NAPA because they have really good parts and most of the Mechanics buy all there parts from NAPA around here. AutoZone and TrakAuto can be a nightmare sometimes. My pulley was flipping back and forth like you said I have an 2003 Dodge Dakota and it was making a noise but I thought it was the Alternator. Thank you so much for posting this you are a god send. This is Awesome very helpful keep them coming for the 2003 Dodge Dakota's
This exact issue just popped up on my Dakota. I narrowed it down to the tensioner pulley by pulling it off and giving it a good spin on my finger. That’s where I could really tell the bearing was shot. Thanks for the vid though and thank god it’s a cheap and easy replacement.
Thanks for the video, going to have to do that with my 02 Dakota. I've already replace the idle pulley and still have squeaking. I remove the fan shroud though to have more space to work.
Very well explained, thanks. I am changing one now, and I thought I had to remove the whole unit, including the tension spring housing. Not that big of a deal I guess, but all my bolts are old and rusty, and the one that holds the spring housing is behind a sensor of some sort, and would have to be removed blindly. Thanks for the excellent video.
Actually, I did have to remove the torsion spring housing. It was bent! But it's done now. One thing I'd like to suggest to all your followers: if you're replacing the tension pulley, replace the idler pulley at the same time. It's a cheap part, and it's gonna break sooner or later anyway.
Didn't get it for me on my 02 Dakota so I'm assuming it's the idler going as well, saw a post saying both should probably get replaced if one goes. The bearing was halfway shot in this one though and it got a tiny bit better after I replaced it, but gotta make a Lordco run for an idler pulley after work tomorrow and hopefully that does it. Otherwise, I'd say it's probably the whole belt tensioner assembly which like mentioned below is bullshit to deal with. Thanks for the help though, removing the big washer for the pulley bearing got it moving nice and smooth after.
I'm definitely having these same issues with my '06 Durango 3.7. But I'll have to check to see exactly where this tension pulley's located. If it's that pulley! Thank God those parts are inexpensive.!
Great video..I have somewhat of a different issue. I have an '08 Ram 1500 with the 4.7L. Same setup. I believe my tensioner is fine..I just wanted to preventatively replace the belt. Problem is when I turn that bolt clockwise to relieve the tension on the belt, the bolt turns but the tensioner pulley does not move inward towards the center of the engine like it is supposed to. At what point do I decide that I'm just going to ruin the tensioner by stripping the bolt or worse? I tried spraying some PB blaster into the seam between the outer and inner part of the tensioner housing, but still no luck. Is there a torque spec on that bolt? Will try again.
Sorry I did not respond sooner. This was the first and only time I have done this job on a Dakota. Not sure why it is not moving the way mine did. If you have over 100K on the truck, I would do the pulley anyways while your in there. The tensioner was not too expensive.
Great job ! I just did a new fan clutch that was a wobbly bearing on my 3.9 dakota and now im looking into the idler and tensioner because the clutch noise is now gone but I do hear a mild squeaking coming from somewhere in the belt area , about 85,000 miles could be anything .
I am chasing a squeaking noise on my 4.7 liter Durango. Replaced the tensioner pulley, and I'm about to replace the idler pulley. Didn't even consider the clutch for the fan. I replaced it with an aftermarket one about 3 years ago when I had an overheating problem that turned out to be a radiator issue. Just curious, did your replacement fan clutch cause your engine to roar when it was cold until you drove a mile or two? My replacement aftermarket clutch is loud as hell and would make some people think the engine was over reving until the viscous fluid inside seems to warm and move a little bit. Honestly thinking about putting the factory oem clutch back on, because I still have it and that was not what was causing the original overheating issues. Don't get me wrong, the clutch works fine and provides moves the fan great, but it sounds like you're holding the throttle to the floor in first gear until you drive a mile or so down the road, especially on cold mornings.
Hi. Some tensioner pulleys don't have grooves because their designed to press on the smooth side of the belt to take up slack (apply tension). So keep that in mind.
Kind of hard to torque the bolt, because as you do it, the spring allows the entire arm to move. I have heard to just torque it until the arm moves, and that they will tighten themselves up. Sounded strange to me, but that's what I did two weeks ago, and mine is doing fine. I didn't have to remove the washer on mine, but my pulley from the auto parts store looked identical to the one I removed that was the factory pulley. Unfortunately, I still have the squeak! Went to the parts store today to get the standard idler pulley hoping it would be the noise, and they had two different sizes. One was 76.2mm diameter, and the other one was 90mm. One was also made of poly, while the other was made of steel. I couldn't really tell without pulling the plastic shroud out from around the front of the engine, so I told them I would come back after removing the part and catching a ride back there to do a comparison. The smaller steel one had to be ordered, and they require you to pay upfront. Still don't understand why they couldn't determine the correct pulley when they had the engine size and everything they needed. I guess Dodge actually used two different idler pulley sizes and types on the same vehicles with the same engines. And they were both smooth pulleys.
You were lucky. You only had to replace the pulley. On my 2001 the whole tensioner had to be replaced. To do so you have to remove the coil pack. Now here is where it gets fun. Some stupid fool at Dodge decided to use Phillips head bolts to put the coil pack on with. The head strip out just looking at them. What dumb ass uses Phillips head bolts for something like this? Well now I have to remove the whole mounting bracket and everything and cut the Phillips head bolts out. I may even have to relocate the coil pack somewhere else. I am really upset with the fool that put Phillips head bolts in this thing.
Lol, always use Phillip's heads in these situations where the screw heads face up and can catch the road spray and salt to pre strip out the head. I think that's dodges "instant strip" technology. Almost as good as their "instant break" technology
One dude had a good solution for this. Philips bit in some vice grips and go at 'er nice and slow. Hopefully I don't have to do that, but would at least come out of it with new belt tensioner and idler pulleys from it.
Could be steve`s satirical way of saying Canadian made stuff is of Chinese quality. I`d like to think he made an honest mistake, but until an explanation is made...
