Toyota Sienna 3.5 Idler pulley noise diagnosis and replacement 2GR-FE

Grinding noise was coming from the belt side of a Sienna engine 3.5 2GR-FE. The video shows how to find the source of the noise and how to replace the lower idler pulley. This video applies to other Toyota V6 3.5 models as well as Lexus.

[@PickyOne]

4:19 The sound before repair. This is a link for a video shot 3 years after the repair. Watch it if you want to compare the sound before and after. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnvakoOerKx8ftksi=E4kWcBbrc16jo7BP

[@SchizoMedal]

Fantastic video. EXACTLY what I was looking for. Same engine. The sound clip you included of what it sounded like when it was bad is exactly what mine sounds like and confirmed my belief that this same pulley was the problem. My bolt was VERY hard to get off. Impact would make that a 3 second job. Thanks a million for the guide! PRO TIP: use the ratchet to loosen the tensioner pulley then just wedge a wrench between the ratchet and the front radiator support and just keep it there until you are done. Keeps belt loose and only takes but a minute.

[@motormania1012]

Sound clip is 4:20 mark

[@condor5635]

Great video but you should’ve done all three. Two Idler pulley’s and one tensioner pulley. They’re so cheap and you’ve already taken the belt off so it’s easy to replace them all. Thanks for posting

[@PickyOne]

I was on a budget, and the time was tight. I work 6 days, and Sunday is the family day going places with the van. I started the work Saturday night, got the part and finished Sunday morning. So far, it's been a year since I did the repair and everything works fine. If you do it one time, it'll be much easier to repeat it, next time I will borrow the belt removal tool (the angel one) from AutoZone, it makes removing the belt much much easier. Thanks for watching.

[@ntamichael9343]

Great job bruh, straight to the point💯no too much talk. Thanks🍾🍸

[@mikes1798]

Thanks. Same exact idler went bad on my 2007 Siena. I ended up just replacing both of the idlers. I left the tensioner pulley alone because I didn’t have the part. Tool wise, I recommend purchasing a serpentine belt removal kit from Harbor freight. It comes with a nice long and very thin wrench you can use to help out. When loosening the belt tension, you’re right it is a two person job. While a family member was up top loosening the belt tensioner with the HarborFreight tool, I was down below with an Allen key ready for locking the tensioner in the detentioned state. The harbor freight tool is pretty cheap and if you’re going to be doing other serpentine belts or pulleys it’s definitely worth the investment. That same tool worked on my 2007 Honda Accord and I plan to use it with the newer 2017 Sienna I now have.

[@PickyOne]

I agree, a special tool is needed to release the belt unless using 2 strong hands and a short wrench, because there's not enough room/range to finish the trip when using a long tool. AutoZone have a tool as a free loaner that has a 90 degree curve.

[@jeremygfoots50]

Definitely Appreciate This My Brother!

[@jeremygfoots50]

Just seized up on me today!

[@rodneykroetsch2924]

Really good tutorial video....thank you!

[@elnitro007]

God bless you friend, your videos work very well for me, I have a Toyota Sienna and your videos have helped me a lot.

[@PickyOne]

Thanks 👍

[@metop33]

Awesome video thank you so much

[@jonjonword6222]

Thanks for this sir

[@PickyOne]

You're welcome. More Sienna videos comming. Please subscribe.

[@damienbell3155]

Same one that went out on mine and I just changed it 2 yrs ago with an eBay pulley. Idler pulleys and tensioner pulleys are terrible on 08 and up 3.5 L. I’ve owned many Toyotas and Lexus prior to 06 04 02 00 98 95 94 90 yrs and never had any ever go bad they had at least 190,000 miles on all of them or in the 300,000 range. This Rex 350 has given me so much grief.

[@CdotPoppy]

Would have loved, to hear how it sounded after the fix.

[@PickyOne]

For the bottom pulley, the best sound comparison is to shoot before and after the fix near the right front tire with the hood closed. I didn't know which one was bad when I started. By the time I was done the van was ready to go on a family trip, I had to wrap up everything. Believe me the sound is gone and my neighbors are willing to testify 😄.

[@CdotPoppy]

@@PickyOne Tremendous, I have had this idle pulley noise for so long. That video captured that noise I have been dealing with for a long time. I just needed sweet justice to hear such a sound removed! Got the idle, tensioner and water pump to go on my ford 2.0 duratec. Good day sir

[@PickyOne]

Having an L shaped serpentine belt remover is highly recommend. The long straight tool is hard to be used with this engine specially when putting the belt back and/or inserting the allen key into the tensioner. Check this loaner part from AutoZone Part # 24687 SKU # 13620. Having a helper is really needed for inserting the allen key. Autozone gives you the option to return or keep the tool. It's worth the double trip to the store.

[@walter.bellini]

Thank you I put in both numbers on AutoZone and nothing comes up?

[@PickyOne]

@@walter.bellini those numbers for walk-in customers and in store purchase, not available online. They assume that you buy them from the store when you need them and once you're done you go back to the same store and return them for a refund.

[@4144758]

Great thx

[@baobaolovely]

Hi! How do I know which bolt is reverse thread? Thanks

[@PickyOne]

The one with the reverse thread is the tensioner pully . Reverse thread means you need to turn it clockwise to unscrew it. It is made like that because it is mounted on the tensioner that needs to be pushed counter clockwise to release the belt. it is shown on 2:07.

[@baobaolovely]

Thanks

[@dhowar]

Can you press out the race from the pulley and press in a new race? I've done it on a Chevy van.

[@PickyOne]

You mean the bearing? Yes it's doable but I didn't have the time and tools to do it. It was much faster for me just to go to the store and pick up a complete pulley with bearing.

[@aaroningram9741]

Was wondering the part # for oem pulleys? Are they both the same? I'm getting 2 different part numbers when I try to order online.

[@PickyOne]

Toyota likes to give different numbers for the same identical parts if they're installed in a different spot, (the van front door jam stoppers as an example). I don't know why, maybe for research and inventory purposes. Sometimes they change or update/ redesign the same part, depending on the supplier/manufacturer they get it from. The 2 pullies I'm pointing to at 1:50 are the same, but not the tensioner pulley which has a different depth/width and not offered as OEM by Toyota unless you buy the whole tensioner. , the tensioner pulley can be replaced without removing the whole tensioner, but you have to go "after-market" because (again) Toyota DOES NOT offer a stand-alone pulley for the tensioner and they want you to replace the whole tensioner and its pulley together. We are lucky, there are many after-market brands that offer a replacement pulley for the tensioner. Pay attention that the pulley replaced in this video DOES NOT fit on the tensioner. Here's what I found on Amazon, search for tensioner Pulley Idler Kit Febest 0187-GSU45. As I mentioned at 2:50 OEM part number is 166040p011 for the regular 2 pullies. If you get the number 16620 31031 that's for the whole tensioner with the pulley, it's not a DIY job to replace the whole tensioner.

[@aaroningram9741]

@@PickyOne I typed in the part number u gave for the tensioner and it said no part found. I believe the tensioner is 16620-31040,that part number brings it up. When I type in 16604-0P011 it says it won't fit my 2007 Sienna fwd. But if I type 16604-31010 it comes up as a fit for my sienna but the part is discontinued. I went to my local dealer and they can't get the idle pulleys. I should of asked them the part#. I think I'm gonna get the idle pulleys from NAPA. They are $74 a piece but I think they will be good. Thanks for ur help

[@PickyOne]

My info are at least 1 year old and Toyota keeps changing those numbers. Good luck.

[@nelsoncanelas1978]

My sienna makes a loud noise when I turn the air conditioner on can this be it?

[@PickyOne]

Remove the belt and and check everything that can be rotated by hand. Hopefully it's not the A/C bearing since it's not hand rotatable.. But still don't jump into conclusion that's it's related to the A/C compressor or any of it's components, sometimes when the A/C is on it puts more tension on the belt and the other weak/deteriorated pulleys like the one in the video start to make noise. Or maybe it's just a bad belt. Do a thorough check before coming close to the A/C compressor. Good luck.

[@fn6553]

What was the number on the bearing? couldn't make it out, thanks

[@PickyOne]

I was not planning to reuse the same pulley because it had a bad design, it does not protect the bearing from the inside. That's why I did not care about the bearing part number. Toyota offers and updated part, the number is mentioned at 2:50 .

[@Sean-Aviation]

looks like my pully is bad as well. annoying noise. can i wait with the replacement for two weeks or is it super urgent once getting noisy?

[@PickyOne]

There's no hard science behind it. My van is used for local short trips. It took me a week from the day I noticed the noise to the day of repair. Go and rent the belt remover tool from AutoZone, release the belt and test all the pulleys. You don't have to do the repair the same day. If it's the same part shown in the video, you may get a chance to delay it since it's just a guide and no catastrophic things going to happen other than a belt damage if that part freezes.

[@Sean-Aviation]

@@PickyOne Thanks buddy. i wanted to check all pullies but indeed a tight fit in there. not much space on the Highlander. did you release the tensioner from the top or from the bottom of the car?

[@PickyOne]

@@Sean-Aviation From top.

[@SibRevs]

Hello. Are both idler pulleys the same part number?

[@PickyOne]

Yes, the two pulleys I'm pointing at with my index and pinky fingers on the time 1:51 are the same part number. But the tensioner pulley is a different size and depth and is not interchangeable with these two, the tensioner pulley does not have a Toyota part number since it is not sold apart from the tensioner, but some aftermarket manufacturers have it available.

[@SibRevs]

@@PickyOne Thanks!

[@lazizboss5628]

I have a 2015 Toyota sienna and it's making a tik tik noise. Not sure where it's coming from? I went to a couple different mechanics and none of them knew the exact problem. Their only easy answer was, "change your engine" any good mechanic in NYC please recommend

[@PickyOne]

2015 Sienna has a 2GR-FE engine that is known for being loud and noisy especially when cold. If your van gets you good MPG within the advertised, don't worry much about it, check Fueleconomy.Gov for the exact numbers. If you still concerned, shoot a video for the engine when hot after coming back from a trip and post it as private KZbin link on Toyota Nation forum, and you'll get a lot of responses. Cold engine internal noise is common and it goes away after a few miles of driving.

[@lazizboss5628]

@@PickyOne Thank you for your response. When it's cold there's no noise or anything. After I drive for about 5 to 10 miles then I hear when I come to stop light. The noise is on and off. Doesn't do it constantly. The noise is more constant when weather gets warmer. It doesn't have a code or anything to read and most mechanic tries to find an easy way by recommending to change the engine

[@PickyOne]

There's no point of wasting money replacing an engine that is fully functional. I agree with you if there's any noise that concerns and may cause a bigger problem that needs to be addressed. As a first step, try to search the keywords" car Care nut Sienna common problems" on KZbin, this guy is a master diagnostic and he provides very helpful information.

[@lazizboss5628]

@@PickyOne thank you for your help

[@Jay_Dahl]

How many miles/years did you get out of the original pulley?

[@PickyOne]

133055 miles/ 13 Years.

[@Jay_Dahl]

@@PickyOne Great video, thanks! I'm at about 137K miles and 14 years. I don't know if the noise is coming from the pulleys, idler arm, or alternator. I wonder how long the alternator lasts in one of these things? Maybe it makes sense to replace the pulleys, idler arm, and alternator all at the same time?

[@PickyOne]

@@Jay_Dahl it's always better to diagnose it in a safe way when the engine is off, release the belt and check the components by hand one by one. If you can't pinpoint the problem, put back the belt and start the engine and carefully unplug the alternator and replug it, if the noise is gone while the alternator is unplugged, that will be the source of the noise. It is a very bad idea to go and changing things left and right for no reason other than trial and error. Spend some time in the diagnostic process instead of wasting money replacing things unnecessarily. Other than my leaking water pump, no other component was replaced other than the pulley replaced in this video. Check Car Care Nut Chanel, the guy has very good videos since he's a Toyota master technician.

[@Jay_Dahl]

@@PickyOne Thanks for that advice. I pulled off the serpentine belt, as you suggested, and it's definitely a water pump bearing failure. The empty coolant tank confirmed it.

[@dwormon8525]

They have a heavy duty pulley also ?

[@landshass2849]

I don't think so, Sienna heavy duty is called "Tow Package" has a different transmission cooler and some other minor things. Belt pressure on pulleys is always the same, despite the usage load.

[@Nightx468]

What size is the bolt?

[@PickyOne]

14 mm for the pulley bolt head as show in the video. Sorry, I don't know the thread size.

[@mikefennema5561]

With metalic pulley's you can usually press in a new bearing at a fraction of the price.

[@PickyOne]

It's possible, but I didn't have the tools and/or the time to do it other than getting a whole new part. I already saved my self the labor charge and the time wasted to drop the car at a repair shop. Thanks for watching the video. More Sienna videos on the way. Please subscribe.

[@tenzackyogi1742]

You don't have to buy idler pulley part. All you need is high quality bearings. Bearing need to swap.

[@PickyOne]

That's right, but not for this pulley I removed, it's the old design. Toyota updated the pulley with a better design that covers the bearing both sides and prevent it from failing prematurely. The whole pulley was going to the trash anyway.

[@tenzackyogi1742]

Oh I see.

[@atxjax1]

pressing in a 6203 bearing would be much cheaper.

[@PickyOne]

I agree, but this specific model had some issues with the pulley that causes premature damage to the bearing. Toyota issued a service bulletin for it, but it wasn't a recall. So, out of precaution, I replaced the whole thing.

[@st-qd8wg]

You would think this is not an expected repair when they charge you 40k for Sienna and your buying Toyota Tyrant problems when you drive off Lot.once you put lot miles on your 2gfre motor time sell Van ASAP avoid Costly repairs