A/C tensioner pulley and idler pulley
06-20-2017, 10:29 AM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
A/C tensioner pulley and idler pulley
Are the original pullies have flanges? AC belt started squealing a few weeks ago I replaced it with the gates gatorback lasted about a week and started squealing again. I went online and looked up pulleys and I noticed they were flat smooth pulleys. . My pulleys have flanges on them does that mean they're worn out or they came Factory like that?
06-20-2017, 01:16 PM
#3
Safety Car
Thread Starter
06-20-2017, 05:36 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
You should also check to see that your harmonic balancer is not wobbling
Do a quick search.. That to me would be the most obvious answer as to why
you are eating belts
Do a quick search.. That to me would be the most obvious answer as to why
you are eating belts
06-20-2017, 05:45 PM
#5
Safety Car
Thread Starter
. I just bought new idler pulley and new AC tensioner assembly. I'll update once i replace them.
The following users liked this post:
SG Lou (06-21-2017)
07-10-2017, 06:55 PM
#6
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Heres a couple pic of what the pulleys look like
Last edited by helga203; 07-10-2017 at 06:56 PM.
07-10-2017, 06:57 PM
#7
Safety Car
Thread Starter
07-10-2017, 06:58 PM
#8
Safety Car
Thread Starter
07-10-2017, 06:58 PM
#9
Safety Car
Thread Starter
07-10-2017, 07:00 PM
#10
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Wrong pulley lol
Last edited by helga203; 07-10-2017 at 07:02 PM.
07-10-2017, 07:01 PM
#11
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Again wrong pulley
Last edited by helga203; 07-10-2017 at 07:03 PM.
07-10-2017, 07:04 PM
#12
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Changed the pulleys and no more squeaking. 3 weeks anyways. So far so good.
07-11-2017, 11:55 PM
#14
Race Director
Member Since: Apr 2007
Location: South Western Ontario
Posts: 11,061
Received 845 Likes
on
721 Posts
I can't get the number for a week or so but I took mine to a parts store and we found another pulley from a truck that's a little wider but still works fine. It was under half the price of the Vette one too.
I did that because they brought in 1 of the Vette ones from Dayco and it was wrong so they got another and it was wrong too. They were both too large in diameter. After finding the cheap one I wish I'd just done that from the start.
Both AC pulleys are the same. But you can replace the tensioner and pulley together as an assembly.
I did that because they brought in 1 of the Vette ones from Dayco and it was wrong so they got another and it was wrong too. They were both too large in diameter. After finding the cheap one I wish I'd just done that from the start.
Both AC pulleys are the same. But you can replace the tensioner and pulley together as an assembly.
07-12-2017, 10:22 AM
#16
Safety Car
Thread Starter
I can't get the number for a week or so but I took mine to a parts store and we found another pulley from a truck that's a little wider but still works fine. It was under half the price of the Vette one too.
I did that because they brought in 1 of the Vette ones from Dayco and it was wrong so they got another and it was wrong too. They were both too large in diameter. After finding the cheap one I wish I'd just done that from the start.
Both AC pulleys are the same. But you can replace the tensioner and pulley together as an assembly.
I did that because they brought in 1 of the Vette ones from Dayco and it was wrong so they got another and it was wrong too. They were both too large in diameter. After finding the cheap one I wish I'd just done that from the start.
Both AC pulleys are the same. But you can replace the tensioner and pulley together as an assembly.
07-12-2017, 10:26 AM
#17
Safety Car
Thread Starter
when I first changed the belt i checked puleys and they spun smooth and no wiggle but I felt flanges on the pulleys. I thought that was normal to guide the pulley straight. I was wrong.
07-13-2017, 01:45 AM
#18
Advanced
Member Since: Apr 2008
Location: Gainesville FL
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had to get both new belts and idlers too. Mine had the wrong belt for both. The pulley for the AC was really bad. I wanted to skip it due to how much of a PITA it was to get to, but glad it got done. It wobbled... nice and smooth now. I've had great luck with RockAuto too.
08-13-2020, 09:02 AM
#20
I have a few pieces of advice. Take them or not.
1. the idler pulley for the accessory serpentine belt is a different diameter and different part number from the Air Con idler pulley.
2. If your AirCon tensioner pulley (which is the lower pulley on the AC belt) has failed (or you think it has) do not buy a replacement. buy the complete tensioner replacement pulley assembly. Do not buy the Dayco. The one I bought lasted 2 years, the AC Delco replacement I bought has lasted 5 years so far and hasn't failed yet. They're like $10 different in price. Dayco may be like Delco because the Chinese can't say "L"'
3. There are a number of posts that say you can change the AC belt from the top. These are not accurate, you cannot if you use a top quality belt. (with all this work, it only makes sense to spend $5 more for a top quality belt). Froggy has a great youtube video about how to change the belt, search this. Use his technique of using Duck Tape to secure the top quality belt to the harmonic balancer pulley from underneath the car, using 3 pieces is sufficient.
4. When you are installing the AC belt, after taping it to the harmonic balancer, route the belt OVER the top AC idler pulley, and OVER the top of the tensioner (lower) pulley. It won't be long enough go to around the AC compressor, so you will have to get your 15mm box end wrench around the tensioner pulley bolt and use that to move the tensioner pulley (not too far, it doesn't take too much) to get the belt around the AC pump. Getting your box-end wrench around the tensioner pulley bolt is tricky if you have an autotrans. because there are 2 cooling tubes which the Corvette designers in their infinite wisdom decided to put directly in front of the tensioner pulley bolt which makes it extremely difficult to get the wrench on this bolt to move it. I have an auto, and I used my Harbor Freight grinder to grind down the wrench so that it would fit easily, then went to OSH to buy another wrench. OSH may no longer exist, maybe the only way to get Craftsman tools is online. I'm so glad I'm old and it will be up to you younger buys to figure out how to get good quality tools. Put the box-end on the pulley and grab a washcloth-sized rag to put around the wrench's open end side. Then you can grab the wrench and without pain or blood you can move the tensioner pulley.
5. After you get the belt around the AC pump,on top of the tensioner pulley and kind of around front of the idler pulley you are ready to move the tensioner pulley so that you can push the belt under the idler pulley.
6. With your right hand, slowly push forward the wrench while making sure (as sure as you can, use a trouble light to get good visibility) that the belt stays in place around the harmonic balancer, and around the AC pump. Push the belt under the idler pulley. Then release (slowly ) the pressure on the wrench. After verifying the belt is in the right place, remove the wrench. I had to use a long flat blade screwdriver to pry the wrench off the idler pulley bolt
6. Have a beer to celebrate. You've accomplished a great repair and saved $600 shop cost. After the beer, crawl under the car and remove the 3 pieces of duck tape that you used to secure the AC belt around the harmonic balancer.
7 Then, of course you have to replace the accessory serpentine belt. It's much more pleasant after the beer.
Now a couple other comments.
With an Auto trans C5, I believe it is impossible to remove the AC tensioner assembly when it is still attached to it's pulley. I have tried. From top or underneath. So if you're changing out the tensioner, assembly as I recommend above, you need to put in a bar to freeze the tensioner, then use your ground-down box end wrench to loosen and fingers to remove the bolt securing the pulley to the assembly. After that bolt is removed (be careful, there is a fiber washer on it) you can remove the pulley from the top and then after removing the tensioner assembly bolt from the top, you can remove the tensioner assembly from the top. I had to go under the car to remove the tensioner assembly bolt because I have an auto trans, I had trouble removing the tensioner assembly bolt and had to tie a rope around the two cooling tubes and move them slightly forward. If you have trouble loosening or removing the tensioner assembly as I did, you can access the bolt from under the car using a 14mm wrench.
My last comment is that we should take the designer of this abortion out to the field and hang him by the neck until dead..
1. the idler pulley for the accessory serpentine belt is a different diameter and different part number from the Air Con idler pulley.
2. If your AirCon tensioner pulley (which is the lower pulley on the AC belt) has failed (or you think it has) do not buy a replacement. buy the complete tensioner replacement pulley assembly. Do not buy the Dayco. The one I bought lasted 2 years, the AC Delco replacement I bought has lasted 5 years so far and hasn't failed yet. They're like $10 different in price. Dayco may be like Delco because the Chinese can't say "L"'
3. There are a number of posts that say you can change the AC belt from the top. These are not accurate, you cannot if you use a top quality belt. (with all this work, it only makes sense to spend $5 more for a top quality belt). Froggy has a great youtube video about how to change the belt, search this. Use his technique of using Duck Tape to secure the top quality belt to the harmonic balancer pulley from underneath the car, using 3 pieces is sufficient.
4. When you are installing the AC belt, after taping it to the harmonic balancer, route the belt OVER the top AC idler pulley, and OVER the top of the tensioner (lower) pulley. It won't be long enough go to around the AC compressor, so you will have to get your 15mm box end wrench around the tensioner pulley bolt and use that to move the tensioner pulley (not too far, it doesn't take too much) to get the belt around the AC pump. Getting your box-end wrench around the tensioner pulley bolt is tricky if you have an autotrans. because there are 2 cooling tubes which the Corvette designers in their infinite wisdom decided to put directly in front of the tensioner pulley bolt which makes it extremely difficult to get the wrench on this bolt to move it. I have an auto, and I used my Harbor Freight grinder to grind down the wrench so that it would fit easily, then went to OSH to buy another wrench. OSH may no longer exist, maybe the only way to get Craftsman tools is online. I'm so glad I'm old and it will be up to you younger buys to figure out how to get good quality tools. Put the box-end on the pulley and grab a washcloth-sized rag to put around the wrench's open end side. Then you can grab the wrench and without pain or blood you can move the tensioner pulley.
5. After you get the belt around the AC pump,on top of the tensioner pulley and kind of around front of the idler pulley you are ready to move the tensioner pulley so that you can push the belt under the idler pulley.
6. With your right hand, slowly push forward the wrench while making sure (as sure as you can, use a trouble light to get good visibility) that the belt stays in place around the harmonic balancer, and around the AC pump. Push the belt under the idler pulley. Then release (slowly ) the pressure on the wrench. After verifying the belt is in the right place, remove the wrench. I had to use a long flat blade screwdriver to pry the wrench off the idler pulley bolt
6. Have a beer to celebrate. You've accomplished a great repair and saved $600 shop cost. After the beer, crawl under the car and remove the 3 pieces of duck tape that you used to secure the AC belt around the harmonic balancer.
7 Then, of course you have to replace the accessory serpentine belt. It's much more pleasant after the beer.
Now a couple other comments.
With an Auto trans C5, I believe it is impossible to remove the AC tensioner assembly when it is still attached to it's pulley. I have tried. From top or underneath. So if you're changing out the tensioner, assembly as I recommend above, you need to put in a bar to freeze the tensioner, then use your ground-down box end wrench to loosen and fingers to remove the bolt securing the pulley to the assembly. After that bolt is removed (be careful, there is a fiber washer on it) you can remove the pulley from the top and then after removing the tensioner assembly bolt from the top, you can remove the tensioner assembly from the top. I had to go under the car to remove the tensioner assembly bolt because I have an auto trans, I had trouble removing the tensioner assembly bolt and had to tie a rope around the two cooling tubes and move them slightly forward. If you have trouble loosening or removing the tensioner assembly as I did, you can access the bolt from under the car using a 14mm wrench.
My last comment is that we should take the designer of this abortion out to the field and hang him by the neck until dead..