An idle pulley or engine pulley steers and tensions the engine drive belt (serpentine belt), which drives several engine accessories including the power steering pump, alternator, AC compressor, and pump.
Any problem within the system will create idle pulley noise, indicating there’s something wrong with the pulleys. a bad pulley may create many troubles, affecting the serpentine belt and accessories connected thereto belt.
How Many Idler Pulleys Does an Engine Use?
Most engines have only one idle pulley and one tensioner pulley. However, there could be quite more than one idler pulleys in some vehicles.
The idle pulley facilitates the motion of the engine belt, which suggests that it serves another smooth rotating point therefore the belt can loop around with none barrier. because of this pulley, the belt is able to do the specified routing.
This idle pulley will eventually show signs of wear and become useless.
Some of these are signs of deterioration and replacing it can protect the snake belt and the engine.
Reasons for Idler Pulley Noise
What are the reasons why idler pulley makes those odd sounds?
Detecting these noises at an early stage means you’ll save several other accessories by taking the car to a mechanic.
A mild squealing noise coming from the engine area, for example, indicates the initial stages of the problem.
The sound comes from the rubbing of the serpentine belt against the pulley surface.
In extreme cases, when the engine is started, the pulse may slip out of its way, or it may become trapped and the belt produces a loud noise.
Paying attention to idle pulley noise is vital because the condition can turn from bad to worse in no time. Take the vehicle to an auto fix-it shop when the noise is lighter. Louder noise may indicate a severe problem that will take more money to get fixed.
Let’s see what could be the reasons for making the pulley such unusual noises.
An Old or Worn-out Pulley
The pulley spins against the drive belt constantly unless the engine is off.
Finally, due to years of constant spinning, both the pulley and the belt begin to wear away.
A worn-out pulley on its surface will have visible scuffs and other marks.
A physical inspection is sufficient to score points.
The noises are going to be less noticeable at this stage. But their intensity will increase with time, and both components will lose tension at one point.
When this happens, when you start the engine the belt is likely to slip off its route whenever.
Pulley Slippage
When pulley wears out so badly that it starts slipping out of its slot, the initial squealing noises may become too loud.
A displaced pulley means it can not help with steering the belt and maintains its tension. Also, this is often likely to affect the components and belts connected to the drive belt.
Unless the worn-out pulley is replaced the noise will continue to increase.
Severe Damage of the Pulley
This will happen if you retain ignoring the idle pulley noise coming from the engine area. during this extreme situation, the pulley is going to be so damaged that it’ll break completely. Of course, this doesn’t happen during a minute or each day.
Deterioration of the pulley sets slowly by forming cracks on the surface. These cracks break the pulley apart a touch bit at a time.
Ultimately, the chain reaction of the damage and increasing wear due to continuous movement damages the serpentine belt too and breaks it completely sometimes.
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A damaged serpentine belt can cause many problems including a dysfunctioning air-conditioning and power steering system. If the matter becomes severe, you’ll face issues like engine overheating and stalling.
Problems with the serpentine belt also create a squealing noise coming from the front side of the car but it’ll be louder and intense. you ought to never ignore engine belt issues as these could destroy the car’s engine.
The Costs of Replacing an Idler Pulley
A new idler pulley isn’t a costly affair.
A new pulley costs anywhere between $40 and $100, counting on the make and model of your car.
The labor costs are going to be another $40 to $120. The auto fix-it shop may charge some extra fees and taxes.
So, at about $200 it is possible to get the job done.
If you know how to do it, you can do it at a lower cost.
Whenever you hear idle noise from a pulley, take prompt action.
As the drive belt depends thereon on a pulley, ignoring the matter for long will cause something serious.
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