Hey all! '12 sxt v6 Challenger here w 185k miles on 'er. I've put 3 idler pulleys on this car in like 2 years. This last one didn't last 20k miles. Changed the belt and even the tensioner pulley assembly when I thought I might have had the wrong pulley when I made my initial diagnosis. Anyone else had this prob going thru so many pulleys? These are gates for O'Reilly's... I'm thinking of trying a different brand of course if this one goes bad soon. Thank all! Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
When you replaced the idler pulley, did you also replace the serpentine belt? The friction that occurs between the idler pulley and the belt wears the belt down. The pulley grooves eventually bottom out on the belt grooves, causing it to slip. When the timing belt is misaligned, the idler pulley can fail prematurely.
Thank so much for the help! The chain of events is something like this... Replaced idler pulley.....it went bad...replaced the pulley and the belt... Started squeaking again so I replaced the tensioner assembly and idler pulley.... And now one last time it has a new idler pulley. So yeah... I'd replaced the belt at some point trying to figure it all out. Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
Your idler pulleys are designed to last as long as the belt that they support. Most manufacturers recommend inspecting the serpentine belt for wear every 10,000 miles after the 30,000-mile mark. As you tug on the belt to check for cracks, worn edges, and depth of grooves, you should also give the idler pulleys a spin.
Are you sure the squeaking has been the pulley and not the waterpump? or AC Clutch of is it just going by noise? Are you spraying anything on the belt?
