HOW TO | Replace Idler Pulley Bearing

When it came time to replace the pulley bearing on my cars, I always bought a new pulley with bearing pressed in. But I recently realized you can save money by pressing in a new bearing. I tried this out recently while helping a friend with her 2002 Mustang and it worked great. Cost of the Japanese bearing was about $10 on Amazon.
Torque specification for this pulley on the 2002 Mustang is 22 ft lbs.
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PRODUCT LINKS:
Nachi Bearing 17x40x12 Sealed C3 Japan Ball Bearings
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Video not sponsored

[@ChavezDIY]

***CHECK VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR LINKS+UPDATES+CORRECTIONS+MORE INFO***

[@adamr3028]

short,sweet and to the point.this is what youtube is all about,or should be.

[@ChavezDIY]

Thanks for the feedback! I value my time and I value other people's time, so I try to get right to the point.

[@lloydthegreat7851]

I am surprised this doesn't have more views. This is a great video. He hits all the important parts. Granted the difference in cost of new pulley with bearing in it and only the beating is 5 bucks, but these same principles can be applied to any sealed bearing on the car. Good job.

[@ChavezDIY]

Thanks for the feedback! That's right, the principles can be applied to other bearings.

[@christopherkerr2254]

Nice job saved me time and money appreciate it

[@ChavezDIY]

Glad I could help! =)

[@gods959]

Blessing and more blessings to you and your family

[@ChavezDIY]

And to you as well! Thank you!

[@pavlo5877]

Good job. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@ChavezDIY]

No problem! =)

[@rogeriorlima3]

Very Nice, thank you Miguel.

[@ChavezDIY]

Thank you too for checkin out the video!

[@zijie-he]

I always consider if changing the entire tensioner just for the bearing is necessary. Unfortunately there isn't a tensioner pulley sold individually and the only choice is to change a bearing. Thank you for the video; this is pretty helpful.

[@ChavezDIY]

Great point! You're welcome!

[@Peculiarsafe83]

This is a very interesting video. That is the same kind of bearing they use in newer BMX bottom brackets that the cranks run through. They have 3 different size bore diameters. 19, 22, and 24. The one in the video looks like 19.

[@ChavezDIY]

Oh, that's interesting. So they use these bearings on the BMX cranks. I always wondered what bearings are used on bike cranks.

[@jimacheson4933]

Thanks

[@ChavezDIY]

You're welcome! 🍺

[@iceman9956]

Nice and thank you! I need a bearing for my 1999 GS 300. No one seems to sell just the bearing. Do you know or anyone on the chat where I can purchase the bearing for my car?

[@ChavezDIY]

I did a google search for the bearing size on that pulley for your car and it looks like its the same size as this one in the video, 17x40x12. The link in the description, but here you go: amzn.to/2QEx55T

[@iceman9956]

@@ChavezDIY Thanks!

[@kingofthewestmidlands4049]

You used the standard size 6203-2RS bearing but my question is did you use one with the addition C3 rating?

[@ChavezDIY]

Yes, C3 rating bearing. The link to the bearing is in the description of the video. Nachi Bearing 17x40x12 Sealed C3 Japan Ball Bearings amzn.to/2QEx55T

[@kingofthewestmidlands4049]

@@ChavezDIY yes, I have just put in a second set of FAG bearings as the first went quickly rough. My water pump has just gone and I'm suspecting those are symptoms of a cause related the the air conditioning compressor clutch not working correctly...

[@megalodonjoker8946]

👍

[@ChavezDIY]

🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻

[@user-my3yq6lq2t]

Thank yu iam rrom saudia arabia

[@ChavezDIY]

You're welcome brother!

[@dalatina911]

Any ideas on how I can remove a idler pulley bearing that melted onto the metal? The pulley and bolt came out but the bearing is melted to the metal :(

[@ChavezDIY]

I don't know I never faced that situation. First I would try Blaster lubricant, soak it and let it penetrate for a couple of hours or even overnight then try again. If that doesn't work try some heat like a propane torch.

[@dalatina911]

@@ChavezDIY thank you sir! I ended up getting it off with lots of frustration and patience haha

[@ridemfast7625]

How is that Nachi bearing holding up? Almost impossible to know which bearings are cheap knock offs...

[@ChavezDIY]

It's holding up great. It's a Japanese made bearing. I'm not aware if there are fake Nachi bearings out there. Just avoid the cheap China bearings. I also used this bearing for the power steering pump on my Acura TSX and its holding up great. The two items I've recently found that you gotta watch out for OEM knock offs are NGK Laser Iridium spark plugs and OEM Honda fan switch and coolant temperature sensor.

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

What about the sounds of a bad bearing, but not bad engine,

[@ChavezDIY]

If you have the sound of a bad bearing you need to find the bad bearing. The Idler pulley is just one pulley with a bearing, there are many more like alternator bearing, power steering pump bearing, AC clutch bearing.

[@arnikupstas5797]

I love you

[@ChavezDIY]

=)

[@zawmoe6529]

Starix 16 v

[@ChavezDIY]

What's that?

[@FroztiProductions]

I tried it on my tensioner pulley and the pulley cracked.

[@ChavezDIY]

That sucks! Did you measure the diameter of the pulley bore and the bearing to make sure they're the same size? If they're the same size the pulley might be old and gave out.

[@FroztiProductions]

@@ChavezDIY Yeah it was right I think if I braced the pulley with wood or another socket then it would have been fine. It has thinner lips at the edges unlike an idler pulley.

[@ChavezDIY]

Ah ok. That's a good idea using a piece of wood next time.

[@ingascheib8873]

I knew it was a ford engine. But wasn't sure what liter it was.

[@ChavezDIY]

This V6 2002 Mustang belongs to a former co-worker. It leaks oil in multiple places but it has sentimental value because her dad owned it. After he passed away she kept driving it.

[@worldpeace5853]

Hi, Please watch my 2012 ML350. Do you think the noise is because of idler pulley? This comes only during cold starts (only first start in the morning and not later starts). Moreover it does not come in the summer or warm weather. I just replaced the PCV valve and intake gaskets due to P2279 error. This noise was there even before replacement but till date has never been an issue. I also changed serpentine belt an year back. Please tell me what you think after watching the video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2OVqX2Hl65rqa8

[@ChavezDIY]

It sounds like a bearing from a pulley. There's a couple of ways to narrow it down. If you want to make sure its a bearing, you can remove the serpentine belt and start your car. Only run the car for a min or two at most without the belt. If the noise is gone, its definitely a bearing. While you have the serpentine belt off, with the engine off, you can manually spin each of the pulleys that have a bearing attached to it. Spin them one at a time and listen for noise and a gritty feeling when it spins. A good pulley bearing will be quiet and slows down kinda fast. Also check for play, move the pulley side to side and look for movement. Another thing you can do, but you have to be very careful, is to use a mechanic stethoscope and put the metal rod on the bolt of the pulley you think is making the noise, you'll notice a louder noise on the bad one compared to the rest.

[@worldpeace5853]

@@ChavezDIY Thank you so very much!

[@re9947]

Do they call you Mickey Mouse ?

[@ChavezDIY]

🤣🤣🤣 nah, but some people call me Mickey.