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new idler pulley has play?

T

tzerilli

New member
hey everyone swapping out most of my pulleys since they all have play, every pulley other than my power steering, crank, and alternator (which is basically new since old one shredded a belt due to terrible axial movement) so I received all the tensioners and idlers last night and installed them waiting on water pump and a/c pulley to come in today but I noticed the new idler with grooves in the supercharger belt side has visible play when installed all the other pulleys were tight when I installed them. after i went to the store and tried a different idler and that had visible play too? ended up just putting the one I got in the mail online back on for now since it was cheaper. is this normal brand is acdelco and the other one from the store is gates. did I get 2 bad parts? also my water pump is only like a year old and as I said has noticeable play, can actually see the belt moving side to side on the tensioner while engine is running could it just be from everything else having play. water pump is the zzp brand have a acdelco replacement coming in the mail
 


put a new water pump on, its shot. and the loose pulley, take it off and inspect the shaft it rides on, it might be worn out. the tensioner pulley near the alt, its shaft wore out on me. had to replace the whole alt bracket for that one.
 
just remembered the new water pump is a gates brand as long as fedex makes it on time should have it done by today but for the pulley shaft what would I check for. I know the mating surface of the shaft and bearing is tight. had to use a pulley puller to remove the pulley each time I was swapping out the 2 new ones and use the bolt to fasten it back onto the shaft (did it at least 6 or 7 times) might be able to use a pry bar now but I know if I take the pulley off later its not coming off by hand. if you push on both the bearings of the "faulty" pulleys while off the car you can feel a slight play as well. should I go to a different parts store lol ironically its the only plastic pulley should I find a metal pulley that's grooved and 3 inches made for another car?
 
ive never had to use a puller for any of them pulleys, nor have i had to press them back on. you sure your getting the right part# parts for your year car?
 
The hardest one to pull off was on the car when I bought it and ive been to like 3 part stores today and they all came up with the same part to and when they showed me the had play right out of the box too I must be going mad I'm probably just going to leave it. Even went to one of those old parts store where everything is expensive but all the people working there are old and knowledgeable and the guy proceeded to tell me theres no way the bearing can have play only the thing it mounts on which just blew my mind because appearantly everything has perfect tolerances now haha but I'm just going to leave it before I turn insane trying to figure out the impossible also fedex lied parts are still on the otherside of the country when they emailed me yesterday saying it would arrive today maybe its just not my week lol thanks for the help though
 


Alright at a loss for words now. New a/c pulley has play too just got it in the mail with the water pump and it has visible play also is it just cold or something I really dont know whats going on only reason I'm even changing the a/c compressor to just the pulley is because the compressor has play but the replacement isnt any different I feel im wasting my time haha
 
Okay I just assumed the it caused my water pump to aquire play I only had the water pump for like less than 6 months and my alternator always has had a hard time staying full power at idle even after a brand new one also that tensior pulley was only a year old and aqquried play
 
water pumps also have their own bearing inside them. you may of got a pos brand maybe? or a poor rebuilt one. i ran a duralast for 40 bucks for years, when that engine blew up i saved it and put in my parts box.
 
It was a zzp I think its only like $20 on there website lol guess I'm only buying performance parts off them for now on and thats crazy haha can't imagine having the confidence to reuse a water pump swear ive been thru 3 or 4 on this car. Probably all pos brands though😂 hopefully this gates one will last think ot cost like 30 off rock Auto actually installing it now
 


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