Arash Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Dear all Members About six months ago I replaced the Idler pulley on my 94 STS with a non OEM one because it was very noisy behind the stop lights and while idling. The car was vey quite until now but it's making a lot of noise again. I didn't lube the pin when replacing the idler pulley because it was written on the box that it was lubed for life. Do I have to replace it again? Can I spray some WD-40 to it while the car is idling to see if it eliminates the noise? Thanks for all responses and merry christmas to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Are you sure it is the idler pully? Sounds like it may be the tensioner or tensioner pully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arash Posted December 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I'm almost absolutely sure. I've also replaced the whole belt tensioner unit not long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 The pully is easy enough (and cheap) to replace. It is possible that something is out of alignment and causing the bearing to wear prematurely. I recall some discussion on this subject, but can't remember what was wearing. Try a search. The best way to figure out what's making the noise is by using fuel line as a stethiscope. WD40 will most likely not help because those are sealed bearings. Not sure if lube is required on the stud, cause the inner ring of the bearing in contact with the stud shouldn't be spinning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Consider that your power steering pump may not be aligned properly, you will be amazed what can cause whine and how it can radiate away from the actual culprit. I find it hard to believe that an idler pulley and or tensioner could fail so quickly. Consider these problems, AC Compressor hub, Alternator bearings, and Power Steering pump mis-alignment. I had a bad AC hub bearing and I SWORE it was related to the, tensioner, idler, power steering pump or alternator. Once the hub bearing failed and I rerouted my serp belt, the engine purred.... You can eliminate the AC compressor from the serp circuit for diagnostic purposes by utilizing a shorter belt (I think its 6K739). Also try utilizing a 3/4" hose held up to your ear while holding the other end near moving components to isolate the noise. BE CAREFUL OF MOVING PARTS AND LOOSE CLOTHING!!!! Bbobynski has posted information regarding power steering pump mis-alignment. It can be off ever so slightly creating a whine its worth a read (the following was written by bbobynski): ***************************************************************** It may be the serpentine belt making noise as it goes over the pulley. It is very easy to properly align the power steering pump/pulley...and...unfortunately just as easy to misalign it when installing the pump , whethere it be at the factory or elsewhere.... If the power steering pump is misaligned it can lead to a consistent, low level belt noise that can sound very high pitched as the belt tries to run slightly croocked across the pulley on the power steering pump and onto and off of the pulleys preceding the pump and after the pump. It is not even visible to the naked eye, this possible misalignment..... To check, simply look at the power steering pump. See the mounting bracket that it sits in ... that aluminum bracket or cage on the bottom of the pump.?? That bracket is held to the top of the block in the vee with one bolt that wedges it into the vee. The bolt is on the right side of the vee in between the ps pump and the cam cover. You need a skinny socket to get to it. At the FRONT of the bracket is a machined boss that hangs over the front edge of the block. The front edge of the block is machined square and the boss on the bracket that overhangs the block is machined square "internally" to match the edge of the block. The tang or boss is specifically for alignment of the pump. The tang should be flush against the front edge of the block for proper alignment. If there is any gap at all between the face of the tang and the front face of the block then simply loosen the single mounting bolt, push the pump rearward on the block to seat the alignment tang and retighten the mounting bolt. It is easier sometimes to remove the belt temporarily when aligning as the pump will want to tilt forward when the bolt is loosened and then leave a gap between the tang and the block when it is retightened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Dear all Members About six months ago I replaced the Idler pulley on my 94 STS with a non OEM one because it was very noisy behind the stop lights and while idling. The car was vey quite until now but it's making a lot of noise again. I didn't lube the pin when replacing the idler pulley because it was written on the box that it was lubed for life. Do I have to replace it again? Can I spray some WD-40 to it while the car is idling to see if it eliminates the noise? Thanks for all responses and merry christmas to all. Spraying ANY lubricant near a belt is a bad idea. Often the very cause of noises in the belt area is a slipping belt. One source of oil in this area is the power steering return line, right next to the belt. Check it for tightness. I would suggest you start by using a degreaser on the entire serpentine belt and all of the pulleys. One of the best and least expensive ones is Westley's Bleche Wite Tire Cleaner. The belt and pulleys need to be throughly cleaned from lubricants. The best way would be to remove the serpentine belt and wash it in hot water and detergent. Then clean the pulleys with a strong solution of detergent. Allow to dry and reinstall. Another way that is nearly as good, is to throughly spray the belt and pulleys with Wesley's Bleche Wite Tire Cleaner. It is very good at stripping away oils. On a warm (not hot) engine just spray the belt and pulleys throughly. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then rinse with a hard spray from your garden hose. Let drip for at least 5 minutes and then repeat. Let drip for a few minutes then start engine. You may hear a little squeaking for a minute until all of the water is thrown off of the belt and pulleys. Just let it idle until it is quiet. In the future do not spray any lubricants around the belts or pulleys, that includes any type of spray detailing products like Armor All, etc. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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