Replace Idler Tensioner Pulley ?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,368
Likes: 77
From: West Coast
Replace Idler Tensioner Pulley ?
Hi Guys, thank you in advance for any comments/advice
2001 Stock LS1 with only 80,000 miles on it, runs perfectly except for the Tensioner Pulley which is starting to squeal like a pack of pigs
It will quiet down after 5-minutes of running, and only starts again if not driven daily
A couple of quick questions:
- It looks easy enough to access and remove, any Tips?
- Can it be serviced/greased or does it need to be replaced, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
- Serpentine Belt looks fine, should it also be replaced at same time or wait, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you all!
2001 Stock LS1 with only 80,000 miles on it, runs perfectly except for the Tensioner Pulley which is starting to squeal like a pack of pigs
It will quiet down after 5-minutes of running, and only starts again if not driven daily
A couple of quick questions:
- It looks easy enough to access and remove, any Tips?
- Can it be serviced/greased or does it need to be replaced, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
- Serpentine Belt looks fine, should it also be replaced at same time or wait, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you all!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 2,304
Likes: 1,580
From: East Metro (Twin Cities) Minnesota
St. Jude Donor '21
Squeal like as in the bearing is bad? Older "hardened" belts tend to squeal. I would take the belt off and spin the pulley by hand to judge the condition of the bearing first. I have heard they can lose spring tension as they get old but I would rule out the bearing and the belt first.
Just my 2 cents...
Just my 2 cents...
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 65
Likes: 30
Hi Guys, thank you in advance for any comments/advice
2001 Stock LS1 with only 80,000 miles on it, runs perfectly except for the Tensioner Pulley which is starting to squeal like a pack of pigs
It will quiet down after 5-minutes of running, and only starts again if not driven daily
A couple of quick questions:
- It looks easy enough to access and remove, any Tips?
- Can it be serviced/greased or does it need to be replaced, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
- Serpentine Belt looks fine, should it also be replaced at same time or wait, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you all!
2001 Stock LS1 with only 80,000 miles on it, runs perfectly except for the Tensioner Pulley which is starting to squeal like a pack of pigs
It will quiet down after 5-minutes of running, and only starts again if not driven daily
A couple of quick questions:
- It looks easy enough to access and remove, any Tips?
- Can it be serviced/greased or does it need to be replaced, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
- Serpentine Belt looks fine, should it also be replaced at same time or wait, if so any upgrade worthy or stay stock OEM?
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you all!
Just be warned that your problems could be much more than just a bad idler. The infamous belt squeak/chirp is one of the few consistent C5 sore spots. You may find that it's the belt, the idler pulleys, the tensioner pulleys, the harmonic balancer, the AC belt, the waterpump bearing or even the power steering pump. I'd recommend first looking at your balancer and looking for any wobble. If it seems to be wobbling, don't bother doing anything else until it's replaced.
Second, taking off the main belt and running the car for a few seconds will help eliminate the AC belt as a possible problem. Third, replacing the belt with a Goodyear Gatorback along with as many of the idler/tensioner pulleys as you are willing to swap would be worthwhile.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,368
Likes: 77
From: West Coast
All great Tips, thank you!
Also is Chevy Dealer OEM the best place to get the replacement Belts & Pulleys or ?
That's why I love coming here, seems to me I got me some playing around / investigation to do this holiday weekend!
Also is Chevy Dealer OEM the best place to get the replacement Belts & Pulleys or ?
That's why I love coming here, seems to me I got me some playing around / investigation to do this holiday weekend!
Last edited by BACNBLK; Dec 19, 2019 at 03:46 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 2,515
Likes: 441
From: Arizona
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,136
Likes: 2,983
From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 2,304
Likes: 1,580
From: East Metro (Twin Cities) Minnesota
St. Jude Donor '21
Agreed. This is what I went with after a lot of research. Has held up to the supercharger belt adding stress to it for a year now. Hope it last for 10 more as it is a big job to replace!!
Last edited by Toys4Life C5; Dec 19, 2019 at 05:50 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,840
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
To the OP. THERE ARE TWO TENSIONERS AND TWO IDLERS..misalignment of either of the two belts will cause this squeal.. knowing or finding which is the culprit is tricky. If the harmonic balancer is starting to lose its integrity this will cause misalignment as well.. To single out just the serp, tensioner is very iffy. Could just as easily be the AC tensioner. or either or both of them and their idlers.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,840
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
AS the bearings get sloppy over time.. any of the pulleys or idlers will wobble, this wobble causes the noise because the outer race of the bearings will make their pullies, cavitate. The spring tensioner on either of the tensioner assemblies will also **** over time, ( Just slightly ) causing misalignment. You can isolate which belt system ( Accessory or AC belt system ) is at fault by removing one belt ,( momentarily ) to see if the noise goes away. ..each system has a tensioner and an idler.. if you remove the accessory belt and the noise is still there, its a component of the AC belt system including the harmonic balancer.
Bill
Bill
Pro
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 611
Likes: 184
From: Atlanta GA
Worth noting that I had an elusive leak from the main hose of my water pump. Infact the actual spout the hose slid over had worked its way a bit loose and allowed just the tiniest drips of water to slide out of the seal when the car was parked. The car never appeared to be losing water. However my belts were constantly getting a very minor bit of dexcool on them. This would cause them to squeal like mad until the car warmed up. (About 5 mins or so) and would silence around 170 degrees. I spent months tryin g to figure out what was causing the squealing. The belts always were dry to the touch. The underside of that hose spout however.... I put my finger up under it and discovered what was Happening. Replaced the water pump, stopped the leak, not a peep since.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,368
Likes: 77
From: West Coast
Worth noting that I had an elusive leak from the main hose of my water pump. Infact the actual spout the hose slid over had worked its way a bit loose and allowed just the tiniest drips of water to slide out of the seal when the car was parked. The car never appeared to be losing water. However my belts were constantly getting a very minor bit of dexcool on them. This would cause them to squeal like mad until the car warmed up. (About 5 mins or so) and would silence around 170 degrees. I spent months tryin g to figure out what was causing the squealing. The belts always were dry to the touch. The underside of that hose spout however.... I put my finger up under it and discovered what was Happening. Replaced the water pump, stopped the leak, not a peep since.
I really don't get any leaks under the car, and as stated it does stop once car is warmed up, hhmm
On that Note, I may just use this opportunity to replace the Coolant Recovery Tank due to the cracked hose nipple, seems cheap design, question I see two available Tanks: AC Delco 10430189 for $90 or the Dorman 603140 for $55, any one use either or have opinion on quality etc? Want the best
Thanks!
Thanks guys!
Last edited by BACNBLK; Dec 20, 2019 at 10:45 AM.