Brand new idler puller ( continental) I installed it, ran the car for few mins and this happened…. Anyone know why ?

 

Something stressing it ?
Is tensioner loose or old ?
Did you keep/remove the little plastic washer??
Double check for alignment issue


MELTED PLASTIC !!!


FYI: plastic idlers last longer than metal ones.

What doees the belt look like

 

Where did you source it? How do you know it is Continental brand? Could be counterfeit from China.

 

Doesn't look a thing like these from FCP.

 

naming: LITENS

Conti sells many parts... belt + tensioners
but i don't think Conti idlers are sold everywhere if anywhere...

 

I’m an idiot, I left that little plastic piece on that was holding the screw, I was rushing it because it’s pouring and I ****ed up, I had to put old one back on and order a new one , it supposed to be continental wtf is Litens?

 

I got the parts from eeuroparts

 

https://litensaftermarket.com/products/idler-pulleys/
First time I've heard of these aftermarket sellers.
Edit: Your pulley is LITEMS unless they made their N weird. That name doesn't even google. Curious how much it cost compared to known brands... Can you share?

 

Belt is fine as soon as I seen plastic starting to strip I turned car off, the end snapped off fast, I left the little black ring on when I installed it, I think the metal piece that’s in the center must of been hitting the plastic as it was spinning, so when this new one comes and I take plastic ring off the back when I install it is this metal center piece going to center itself?

litens is also a brand of continental and says made in Germany not china

 

Uh huh.....many nations in Europe are WELL known (Italy mostly) for putting a China "widget" into a box and then it is "Made in Italy!". We see a TON of that in the cycling world with framsets, and Campagnolo bits.

 

So that little small plastic ring I watching videos and people are saying keep the ring on, it goes inside where the bearings are, so do that come off or stay on I’m so confused

 

show us pictures

Notice the mounting screw hardly has any guidance through the hollow bearing center.

The small plastic ring is used to center the whole pulley.
This is a perfectly cheap way to provide weakness. This system must fail ASAP... here we try to stay ahead by sharing tips !!!

THE WHOLE SERP. KIT MUST GO.

 

So does the small plastic ring go inside the bearing? Or does it come off

 

Is the ring supposed to be inside like this then install it or is that supposed to come off I keep getting different answers

 

Yes, goes inside the bearing to help center the whole Assembly straight/flat.

 

look at what happens to the screw when plastic spacer is removed... screw can hardly stay centered.

That 2˘ plastic centering spacer stays in there!

 

Mount idler pulley with a drop of blue locktite to keep screw from walking out.

 

Ok thank you, that must of been what went wrong the ring probably wasn’t centered

 

I just got new gates pulley I broke yesterday, this came with no black ring to center the dust plate, any idea why?

 

... to help them fail faster ?
the plastic spacer serves its purpose, at least during installation.

some like gates, some don't.
I am under the impression they are original tensioner supplier for this MB.

 

Gates is OE. Here are pictures of the front and back from FCP's website.

 

FWIW Ive used litens in a land cruiser and the bearing is still performing 50k later. Parts are manufactured in different countries so just check the origin before ordering. https://litensaftermarket.com/contact-us/
As has been discovered, this was likely just an install error. Always make sure the pulley is tightly installed, centered and free spinning prior to belt install.

 

When we replace these idlers do you know if FCP rembourse original purchase or new purchase price??

They used to cost $25Ea. and now $60Ea.

Is replacement cost going to be "free" or an upgrade: $60x2 - $25x2 = $70

 

Heads up guys. Donny engine is M272 and not M276.
Donny, when you post something , and your engine variant is not in your signature, you MUST tell member you are speaking of M272 and not M276. DO NOT BE LAZY dude.
Do not waste members time helping you , but giving you the wrong information instead

Look at the 2 version of each pulleys #120 and #55 , depending on engine production date. Did you verify this important detail to seller ?
xxx 00 00 version is Engine H to 02 March 2016 -- So on other models they use M272 this long ? In W212 for USA is ending 2012 as last use of M272 ...yes ?
xxx 10 19 version Engine H to 30 June 2015. EPC calender system is DD-MM-YYYY and not USA style.








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Now, M272 or M276, the theory of the pulley is the same if the item you are showing is the #120 of EPC for M272. Item #55 pulley is not the type used on M276.
Lets use this P/N 2722021019 of pulley #120 https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mer...019-2722021020
Its design is the same as M276, but dimension wise probably different.
For the curious ones, item #55 pulley is this type : https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mer...ley-2722020719

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Here is mine from M276.820 as per my SIGNATURE and genuine from MB the new clean one and the dark one is oldie one from the car.



read here : https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ng-torque.html

"New unit, its bolts sit so tight inside the pulley bore and you can't push it out with your finger unless you try super hard ( nope I did not try pulling out the bolt)....because the black plastic insert is still dimensionally 100% normal.
Good fit, meaning perfect alignment is possible."

"The 36,000KM old unit, flip the guide pulley with the bolt head down and bolt + its big washer will drop to the floor. Yep , the plastic insert has been "consumed" aka thinned down...been raped, gang-bang-ded."

.

Bearing ID




Pattern of wear of old plastic bushing






B to B has highest wear, which make sense due to its loading zone is in fact B to B.



.









That small plastic insert I measured its wear pattern is what allows the steel bearing inside the pulley to "lock" its inner diameter and spin its outer diameter.


Here is the illustration.





The steel plate I labeled #3, if you over torqued the bolt and made the zone 3 bent inward, it will touch the spinning region of the bearing #2 and locked the pulley,
That was what likely happened yours, and surely it will happen when you do not use that plastic insert.



See how mild the torque value is for M276 pulley on top of water/coolant pump, the 6 in blue cyan. 35Nm is peanut.


M276 uses the same two pulley P/N for the 6 and 7. <-------- but the EPC will fool you when you look for the 2nd pulley, it is not under engine cooling ....LOL. One is under 20-MAJOR ASSEMBLY DTEACHABLE BODY COMPONENT.
M272 uses 2 different pulleys for M276's equivalent of 6 and 7 and is on the same EPC page as shown, under Engine Cooling.


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Don't think MB suppliers always do a good job.

Here is one on my car at 36,000KM. Bearing Insertion depth is not the same.



Bearing insertion depth, matters to accuracy of belt seating on the pulley groove.




Of course here is very very small tolerance and won't kill the serpentine belt.... I just want to show you guys what to watch out when and if you want to be ****.


Good luck on your repair.........

 

FCP is not the company they once were. They will give you a credit for the money you spent, they do not warranty the part like for like. They creatively market based on their old reputation versus their new policies. This is an especially disappointing when the oem part you’ve bought originally is now two or three times the price and the junk China crap is now more than the OEM part you bought. This, coupled with the higher price they charge for this “service” has taken me off their customer list. I now just shop for the best price for the best parts available at the time.