TTORA Forum banner

Idler pulley rebuild

44K views 53 replies 32 participants last post by  tercel89 
#1 ·
You guys know about the idler pulley.

It's down there on the bottom, and it'll die if you get in the mud. It will also give up after about a zillion miles or so of street driving, and that's why I'm messing with this one.

So if you go to the dealer he wants like 40 bucks or so, and Vato zone is less but still too much.

That's horse shit. There's nothing wrong with the pulley. It's the bearing that goes bad.

So here's how you fix that.

Take the pully off of the motor, and drop it on your work bench.



Grab your snap ring pliers and pull that clip out.



Use a drift of some sort and a hammer, and drive the bearing out.


After washing the gunk off, you will be able to see a number on the bearing.

In this case, that number is 6301.

Here's the tricky part. The little girl selling parts at Vatozone won't know how to find a ball bearing. That's WAY too complicated for her.

But at the motorcycle shop, there's a good chance there's somebody that can find you a bearing because it's a normal thing for them.

I got mine out of stock.



Compare the new bearing with the old. If it's the same (And it will be if it's the same number) you're good to go.

This one sells for $8.25. That's the right price for a repair, huh?



Drive the bearing in, using a socket or something. Be careful that you don't crush the seal (The plastic part).



Pop that snap ring back in there and you're good to go.



Put that extra $20 or $30 in your pocket, and go wheeling.

Have fun!
 
See less See more
7
#2 ·
Good to see a nice fresh write up on this subject. All I can add is, get the highest grade bearing you can find. There are 5 grades readily available. Grade 5 or "electric motor" grade is the best. I have found grade 1 (made in China), for $5.95 and grade 5 by SKF (France) for $16, both from the same industrial supply store. The difference in tolerances and quality was obvious. I would guess the OEM is a grade 2 or 3.
 
#4 ·
I had a similar problem years ago with my 92 22RE. They wanted to sell me the entire assembly for something like $200 when this guy came out of the shadows and said hold on I can get the bearing you need for less than $10. He comes out with this part (90099-10091) and says this part # is for such & such(don't remember what it was for)but is the same bearing. It worked perfect.

Edit: Yes that is a original Toyota part # for a bearing that will work on an idler pulley for a 22RE engine.
 
#5 ·
This is a nice write up, Is this what creates the squeekish like sound on the 3.4 while idleing? it is also variable depending on motor speed? My 3.4 squeeks and if it is just gonna be about $10 to fix it I will :D Thanks!
 
#7 ·
You can diagnose it to see if this is the issue by removing the idler pully, squirting some oil on it, and reinstalling.

It'll eventually come back, so it's no permanent fix!
 
#8 ·
Well - since my idler pulley got mud in it, and shit the bed and snapped my A/C belt this weekend, i figured I'd bump this back up, since I'll be trying to get this knocked out this weekend.

Maybe this would be a good time to do my URD Crank Shaft Pulley too. :dunno:
 
#10 ·
Note for anyone having problems finding this bearing, you can get it at any online supplier that gets from Tucker Rocky Distributing.

The PN from TR is 41-6301

It's also available through Parts Unlimited, Same PN, 41-6301

An example is Thumpertalk. Much cheaper than the OP's price.

http://shop.thumpertalk.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TR_416301
$4.23

A lot of dirtbike shops use PU or TR to get parts...
 
#12 ·
Yep :(... The good thing about multiple belts, if your AC belt breaks, your alternator still works, your power steering still works. The bad thing... you gotta pull all those belts to get to the AC.
 
#13 ·
Pretty sure AC is the second of three. Just pull the power steering belt and the AC. Leave the alternator belt. At least that's how I remember it on my truck after replacing that pulley with one from NAPA three times last year. I'm gonna go get some bearings today.
 
#15 ·
I replaced a pulley about two years ago, and I swear I only paid like $17 for the whole damn thing...
 
#16 ·
Fast Frank:

I hope you realize how fortunate you are to have a parts place where you can walk in, and browse the shelves of parts your self!


I went to 2 different SoCal Motorcyle / "Power Sports" shops today, and go nowhere!

At both places the guy behind the counter couldn't help me because I didn't know what kind of bike this bearing was for - and they couldn't type it into the computer. They were both puzzled by the fact that I didn't actually need the bearing for a bike. Neither shop would just take my bearing, go into the back, and visually look to see if they had a matching replacement.

Apparently - basic knowlege about auto parts is not required to work the parts counter of a parts store... :banghead:



I had to order the bearing online:
Bearing - $3.99
S&H ---- $4.48
:suicide:
 
#18 ·
Fast Frank:

I hope you realize how fortunate you are to have a parts place where you can walk in, and browse the shelves of parts your self!


I went to 2 different SoCal Motorcyle / "Power Sports" shops today, and go nowhere!

At both places the guy behind the counter couldn't help me because I didn't know what kind of bike this bearing was for - and they couldn't type it into the computer. They were both puzzled by the fact that I didn't actually need the bearing for a bike. Neither shop would just take my bearing, go into the back, and visually look to see if they had a matching replacement.

Apparently - basic knowlege about auto parts is not required to work the parts counter of a parts store... :banghead:



I had to order the bearing online:
Bearing - $3.99
S&H ---- $4.48
:suicide:
same thing for me down where I live.
 
#17 ·
You should have been able to give them the number for the Parts unlimited catalog, and the should have been able to pull it up. It's how I order parts 90% of the time anyways!
 
#20 ·
Thought i'd give this a bump to the top because I'm doing it today. I got the same "all balls" bearing as the op from a local bike shop for $5.24, It was the last one they had in stock. :D

p.s.
How often do you guys change your ps,ac and alt belts?
 
#21 ·
Does anyone have any good pics of where their idler pulley is? I thought i knew but now I'm questioning myself :confused: I dont wanna fuck up my timing belt
 
#23 ·
Idler Pulleys are present wherever there is a belt that is tensioned by it. In other words, they are used to adjust belt tension. They are NOT present on some alternator and A/C compressor pulley setups.

We will be referring to the 22RE because, well, its simple!

Sorry for the bad picture, but she will do.



This is a picture looking down at your power steering belt, however, this setup is pretty much the same as any belt that is tensioned by an idler pulley.

I like room to work, so I take a few extra steps.

1. Remove fan shroud. 4 Bolts hold it to the radiator
2. Remove Fan Clutch. 4 Bolts hold it to the crank pulley
3. Loosen and remove the pulley tension bolt
4. Loosen and remove the bolt that holds the idler pulley on. careful not to drop the bolt that the tension bolt goes into on the backside of the pulley. Pay attention to how the washers are placed.
5. Push the pulley to the right, so you can slip the PS belt off.
6. Pull the pulley out
7. Replace bearing as described in previous posts in this thread
8. Installation is the opposite of dis assembly.
9. Make sure you tension the belt as specified in the FSM
 
#25 ·
In a v6 Taco ... the A/C idler pulley is the one with the A/C belt connected to it that is not the compressor itself. No help?

Well, it's that little fooker down at the bottom that I keep having to replace. It is the bottom most pulley and it is connected to the second belt in. On the sixer.
 
#26 ·
I replaced mine but instead of the idler bearing that was making the noise its the AC COMPRESSOR PULLEY/BEARING. Any idea of how I replace the bearing inside of that pulley. Thought I saw a write-up at one point on this one. SOrry for the hi-jack.
 
#29 ·
I had to get some bearings and seals for my boat trailer a whille back. Being that the trailer was built in 84 all I had to go by was bearing numbers. I don't know about all places but in Portland,OR there is a place that does nothing but bearings believe its called mcguire bearings. So if you can't find at motor cycle shop you probably google and find a place like this in most major metropolis.
 
#31 ·
Does anybody know the part number for the bearing that is on the ac idler pulley on the 3.4 Tacoma??

I'm gonna do it today but it's going to be a little hard to get to the cycle shop with the bearing in hand because my truck will not get me there after I take all the belts and ac idler pulley off.

Thanks
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top