Anyone replaced their Idler Pulley?

[ECTurboGSX]

I went to pull mine out last night as it has a slight wobble and found that the bolt holding it in hits the radiator before it is far enough out to remove? Anyone tried to change it and been successful without removing the radiator?

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[importfan21]

Yes, radiator must come out. I didn't do it; I took it to my indie.

[stockC43]

try taking the upper radiator support off and moving the radiator forward. I "thought" i was able to get mine out that way

[ECTurboGSX]

The end tanks are blocked from leaning forward by the body surrounding the headlights. I got it as far as gettin the upper support, auxiliary fans, and main fan shroud out tonight trying to get it from the top. I'm going to try dropping the radiator from the bottom tomorrow. There wasn't enough give in the hoses to go up at all but I'm hoping I'll be able to drop it the six inches or so I need tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

[tri-star tech]

Cut the bolt in half to get it out. Then buy a new one and cut a couple threads off the end to get it in. I replaced mine when I had the engine out for the 55 swap.

[ECTurboGSX]

No threads are visible on mine, so I'd have to cut all of them off on the new one. If dropping the radiator from the bottom doesn't work, then I will just wait til I put my 5.4 in. It threw the serpentine belt though, so I'm going through it trying to figure out the cause.

[stockC43]

Can you unbolt the lower engine mount bolts and "tilt" the engine up? I thought I removed that pulley when I installed my supercharger and I didn't pull the radiator. It was super tight though. Either way good luck and the 5.4 swap, it will be the best thing you ever did. Trust me

[ECTurboGSX]

Indeed, I've had the engine and been staring at it for over a year, I'm ready to get it in. I can only have so many projects at once though, so as soon as I get the bike done, I can start on the Benz. Here it is in its current state, I'll let you know how dropping the lower support works. Once I get this figured out, I'll put together a how to.

[importfan21]

Originally Posted by ECTurboGSX

No threads are visible on mine, so I'd have to cut all of them off on the new one. If dropping the radiator from the bottom doesn't work, then I will just wait til I put my 5.4 in. It threw the serpentine belt though, so I'm going through it trying to figure out the cause.

So it threw the belt and your bolt is coming out? Sounds like my issue back in 2010. Ended up being my belt or bolt giving way (maybe both) and causing the bolt to be ripped off, belt broken, and taking out several other pulleys in the process, resulting in a hole being knocked in the radiator and my coolant system literally exploding. That was fun...$1,800 later.

[ECTurboGSX]

Originally Posted by importfan21

So it threw the belt and your bolt is coming out? Sounds like my issue back in 2010. Ended up being my belt or bolt giving way (maybe both) and causing the bolt to be ripped off, belt broken, and taking out several other pulleys in the process, resulting in a hole being knocked in the radiator and my coolant system literally exploding. That was fun...$1,800 later.

No, it threw the belt, but everything was still securely fastened. I've been going around making sure nothing seized and the idler pulley had a slight wobble, so the bearings are going bad and it needs to be replaced. I undid the bolt holding the pulley on but cannot get it out because the bolt head contacts the radiator before the bolt clears the clearance hole in the water pump housing. I got lazy last night and watched a movie with my girlfriend, but I will continue working on it this weekend.

If I had to guess, the belt just eventually stretched to the point of the tensioner not being able to keep tension on the belt and it came off. But, I want to double check everything and I need to replace the seals on the oil filter housing anyways while I am digging in that area. One thing to note, it came off at start up, not while it was running.

[Benzonline]

Quick question - what are the symptoms/how to check if these needs to be replaced on a C43?.

Thanks

[ECTurboGSX]

You may hear a slight clicking noise that should change with rpm. The only true test though is to remove the belt and spin it by hand. If it has a wobble or doesn't spin freely, it needs to be replaced.

[ECTurboGSX]

I was able to get the radiator up and tilted forward ever so slightly and get the bolt out. So the idler pulley is out. Just took the oil filter housing out as I will be replacing all of those gaskets as well, as the leak up front was starting to get pretty bad. Looks like the passenger side valve cover may have a slight leak as well. I'm still trying to figure out how the tensioner works and how to diagnose if it is still good. Let me know if you guys have any idea.