Topic: Did this back in 1999...Mistake?

[chrisfranklin]

I bought my 4Banger in '99.  Early on, even on the OEM 28" tires, I knew the thing was going to be no power-house. 

Doing some basic tune-up maintenance early on in '99, I noticed the idler pulley on the drive belt.  To my way of thinking at the time, it didn't appear the idler pulley was doing anything other than serving as something else dragging on the belt.  In fact I'm not even sure the OEM idler pulley had a bearing.  So in late '99, I removed the idler pulley and its bracket and haven't thought about it since. 

Lately though since I was looking at replacing the belt, I did a little reading on the idler pulley and it starting to seem to me that it actually needed to be on there to prevent belt slippage. 

What do you think I should do now, 12 years later?  Should I spring for a used bracket and maybe a new or used idler pulley and get that on there while I'm changing the belt?  Thanks for any advice   

[sharpxmen]

I bought my 4Banger in '99.  Early on, even on the OEM 28" tires, I knew the thing was going to be no power-house. 

Doing some basic tune-up maintenance early on in '99, I noticed the idler pulley on the drive belt.  To my way of thinking at the time, it didn't appear the idler pulley was doing anything other than serving as something else dragging on the belt.  In fact I'm not even sure the OEM idler pulley had a bearing.  So in late '99, I removed the idler pulley and its bracket and haven't thought about it since. 

Lately though since I was looking at replacing the belt, I did a little reading on the idler pulley and it starting to seem to me that it actually needed to be on there to prevent belt slippage. 

What do you think I should do now, 12 years later?  Should I spring for a used bracket and maybe a new or used idler pulley and get that on there while I'm changing the belt?  Thanks for any advice   

it is there to prevent deflection and going into resonance  at steady rpm - that part of the belt is quite long and it deflects more than you think due to vibration. If you get on the hwy and by coincidence you are steady at an rpm that would make the belt deflections resonate you could end up shearing it. So, that's why is there, is not really doing any routing, just this ^

[chrisfranklin]

I'll probably pick up an old bracket and a new idler pulley (that has a ball-bearing -- would swear the stock one [circa OEM '94] was just "pot-metal" spinning on a "pot-metal" bolt at whatever several thousand RPM) and put it back on there with a new belt.  Surprised I got away with more than a decade without any problems with the belt.  Thanks for insight on this, Sharp.

[sharpxmen]

I'll probably pick up an old bracket and a new idler pulley (that has a ball-bearing -- would swear the stock one [circa OEM '94] was just "pot-metal" spinning on a "pot-metal" bolt at whatever several thousand RPM) and put it back on there with a new belt.  Surprised I got away with more than a decade without any problems with the belt.  Thanks for insight on this, Sharp.

no prob. I can guarantee you the oem one had a bearing, might have been busted but for sure it did.