pearlpower

Going to email then now, thank you for posting up another useful thread!

Exotic-metal55

Good idea on the ceramic bearings.. I am sure they will install anything anyone wants. Just ask or spec when you order.. They make custom parts, that how I found out some S/C 55`s were having custom large MM pulley`s secretly made..lol

They have a S/C tensioner pulley of mine right now, so that I can have a matching durable set.. I assume the stock tensioner will fail next and besides the stocker is really ugly looking.. Not to mention heavy! They new billet pulley is lighter than the stock pulley but I do not have final weight yet..

I like to weigh everything..lol Stronger, faster and lighter is the constant goal..

Marcus Frost

I've also thought about this, and you raise a very good question. I also have the MB Extended Care on my 65 and after it's most recent trip to Benz I've beyond covered the cost of that warranty, too. Don't forget, this is just about the most expensive warranty you can get for your car, with the cost coming over $5k if I recall correctly. It has easily paid for itself. I just cannot see warranty companies making money on even 1/4 of the policies they underwrite for these late model AMGs, even if the warranty costs $3k-$4k.

What's worse, is that I am somebody who really goes far and beyond to take care of my cars, whereas there are many guys on here who constantly beat the **** out of theirs. If in spite of my best efforts I still wind up exceeding the value of my warranty in repair costs, I cannot imagine what some of these other guys' total bills stack up to...

I've already heard that extended warranties are getting harder to come by for these cars, so if people are reading this and are on the fence about it, I really don't know what else I can say to convince them to make the investment - it WILL pay for itself, and the clock may be ticking on your ability to get one...

-m

Hammer Down

Did you get it back yet any pics?

silvercl55

Does anyone have any contact info for asp? also how long did it take to get the idler pulley once you purchased it?

BlackCard

+1

wizos6

My extended warranty did not cover all my last issues. I had a coolant pipe rupture bc it was rubbing against another pipe and they stated that is not a mechanical faliure and I had to pay for the metal pipe, custom fitting so it would not happen again and fluid flush., I also had to pay for the new belts I got and labor for coolant and belts to the tune of $700,
I have fidelity and it seems there are plent of "exclusions" in my policy and I have the platinum which is the highest... Food for thought!

beauphus

Please post contact info. I want to order today. Thanks!

Exotic-metal55

Not yet but I heard some of the pulley`s are being plated.. Have not checked on the S/C pulley or my larger crank pulley yet..

soundeffects

I called ASP a couple weeks back and they said right about NOW mid Jan they could have some more of these. I couldn't wait so I just bought some new bearings and will attempt to put them in shortly here.

QUESTION: I took off the SuperCharger belt in 2 minutes but I also had to take off the accessory belt below the engine with a lon 17mm wrench which was a pain. Otherwise if Ijust remove the screw holdingthe double pulley it was putting too much stress on the accessory pulley.

I'm guessing the fastest way to put this back together is to screw in the double pulley and then try to stretch the accessory belt on using the tensioner below if I can do it by myself... or I could try to pull the accessory belt onto the double pulley up top which might be really tuff and insert the screw into the pulleys and then tighten it down.

Advice for easiest reassembly?

Exotic-metal55

Adding bearings will not work, as the bearings freeze, spin and wear the pulley housing out.. You need a new pulley and bearings..


ASP said they made 30 custom idler pulley`s and they will be ready next week. First come first serve and 125.00 each.. From what I heard, they seem to be going fast.. Mine works great and was a nice upgrade for a killer price!

pearlpower

Replacing the bearings for the pulley is no different vs replacing bearings for the wheels, etc. Provided the housing is in decent condition. I replaced my bearings and now have 700 miles, no issues, no wobble,etc. Works great. Now whether I get the ASP version i have yet to decide on. But for $5.00 shipped, a simple bearing replacement is a no brainer.

Exotic-metal55

Sorry bro,,
Not the same animal at all. Wheel bearings are not held on by C clips and do not spin at 15K either. Wheel hubs are made of steel not soft material like magnesium on our idler pulley.. When the idler wobbles, you have houseing damage.. Sure you can put some bearings in the housing but if you have wobble or damage to the housing, it will fail again soon. The stock idler pulley housing just flat out sucks! You say 5 dollar fix but if that pulley goes through your hood on a long trip, then be sure and post the cost to fix it for us all..

t-bone

Who in the Socal area can supply these new ASP idler pulleys? I'd like to purchase one too. Any contact info would be appreciated.

pearlpower

You sir are mistaken and your broad comment that the housing must be damaged is equally misplaced.

Now if someone went through 4-5 bearing replacements and if not careful then I can understand the housing getting damaged and worn over time. The only moving part on the pulley is the bearing, the housing is not going to get damaged unless the bearing freezes and of course you will need a whole new unit at that time, but most will know of an issue long before from the noise. BUT...............................have you ever taken one apart?

Based on your post above it does not appear so as the bearing is NOT held by the housing as you state, but in a steel race which is then placed in the housing so your entire argument is mute.

See pic below, again, the whole process took less than an hour with even discussion time with my neighbor that came over and wanted to BS. It could be done in 30 minutes with a press which I used but not required.


A good (better than OEM double steel ZZ rated 17k-see pic) bearing can be had for under $5.00 to the door. If someone wants to spend the extra cash on a pulley that cannot be readily seen when popping the hood unless you look down the motor, then so be it. ASP does not exactly have a perfect record on this forum either you know-nothing is guaranteed. But the ASP $125 is a great price compared to what the dealer wants and those pulleys still have the cheapo bearings in them.

I am not trying to steal your thunder with the ASP pulley, I am sure it is a quality unit and it is great looking, but neither is the doomsday picture you painted accurate either. Everyone including myself appreciates the contributions you have made and bringing this option to the table , just that not everyone is willing to go that route and perhaps may just want to install a better than OEM bearing in the original housing and save a few bucks.

I would be happy to post a DIY if anyone wants.

£ C43 £ AMG £

Good post lets keep it friendly............... Although I really like the ASP pulley I personally can't see any concern if you are replacing the bearings like for like, whats the difference apart from the metal shield, which can only imagine is better.

Yes only the moving parts wear (the inside of the bearing), the pulley would only get damaged if the outer casing of the bearing gets worn but this is not a moving part ...............so no concern there.

I would appreciate a few DIY points as this would be a quick and very cost effected method. Are the same bearings used in the tension and idler pulley (how many are needed in each? as these in the link below would be ideal>

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6203ZZ-6203-ZZ...ht_1599wt_1165

silvercl55

I ordered mine yesterday and will be the first to hav it installed other than other than exotic metal. cant wait to put this thing on and i am getting the tensioner also. will post pics of the install.

soundeffects

Can someone give me the fastest way to reinstall it?

beauphus

I am interested as well. On a side note PTE commented on using ceramic bearings. I know nothing about this. Do you have any feedback? ASP mentioned that the bearing is a 6203.

pearlpower

I will post up a DIY later on this evening, again, for those not too sure, I would always recommend the easy route and order up one of these ASP units.

Yes, 6203 is the bearing number. Get a ZZ rated 17k rpm bearing.

Exotic-metal55

We are talking about two different things .. Please read my first post and what the topic is about.. 99% of the performance users on this forum will just run the car until the pulley housing starts to wobble from a heated frozen bearing.. Please know that there is a light load on the idler at low rpm but when S/C is engadged and at WOT the bearing can fail from heat.. This idler pulley just sneaks up and fails..

If you pressed the bearing in yourself (as you stated) in this idler, then you would know that idler pulley bearing is not the same design as a wheel bearing hub.. It is rare for a wheel bearing to fail and ruin a hub but not the case with this 15K plus rpm idler pulley pressed into cast aluminum or magnesium..

1) If you want to be preventative , then by all means change the bearings to ZZ or ceramic bearings.. I would not advise it on a 48K motor.. Maybe on a go kart.. It`s very easy to do and some of the forum members have done this in the past.. Either way, you will be putting a quality bearing in another weak link,,,, that being the stock cast idler housing..

Most members here want a quality fix and a forged idler housing with ZZ or ceramic bearings is a QUALITY preventative fix or repair!

2) If you hear a noise, lose your S/C belt on the road ( some have already)or dealer will not warranty, then the Custom idler is a great deal..

My post is about a FIX/ Replace and not a cheap maybe risky preventative change.. Either way, the bearings fail on this part and they spin in the housing very quickly.. How many people will know what a proper press fit is ? Are you including press fit tolerances and pressure fit rating to judge a proper press fit? If not,,,then you may be doing others an injustice with a BLANKET stated repair.. If you know all the proper specs and can DIY this to the forum in a safe factory spec method,,, then my hat will be tipped to you..

Also note ;that both my idler housings failed and both bearings never froze solid but only under high speed heat conditions..

ASP only ran 30 custom idler pulley`s and I doubt that was near enough from the word on the net / street.. As we all go to 180, 185 and even 190mm pulley`s this idler will tend to fail quicker..

Forums are about options .. GL with the route you choose!

pearlpower

I have yet to see one failed pulley on this car, just the bearing itself. The pulley is a solid unit. A good quality ZZ bearing or even ceramic bearing in the original housing is a quality fix. There is no science to the fitment, it is a simple idler bearing used in thousands of applications, nothing hi-tech or innovating about this fix or the ASP pulley. There is no exact factory tolerance. The bearing slips in until it no longer moves, the c-clip goes one. There is no bearing preload as there would be in a transaxle (I can rebuild those as well to exact tolerance BTW).

But again, we do agree that options are always welcome as well as the OEM bearing substandard.

soundeffects

I spent an hour trying to get the snap ring out with some snap ring pliers I bought. I guess its harder than it looks. I actually bent the spring on the pliers as the snap ring is in there tight. Any suggestions on getting it out easy?

pearlpower

The first snap ring plier I used also bent the tip then I used a larger and longer snap ring plier and it came right out in seconds. Are yours angled? I usually wrap some tape in the middle as these clips tend to go flying once loose.

Exotic-metal55

Sorry to hear about your problem and frustration.. That is what happens when thread gets hijacked and we get off topic.. PM me if you need any help or have any questions.. Bad, older and worn bearing on idler pulley`s hardly ever just slide right out as some suggest.. You can easily spend more time on tools, time, frustration and still have a poorly fixed part at the end of the day.. We do not need DIY to = Destroy it yourself..