Idler pulley failure on 09--Powertrain?

Long story short, was cleaning my engine bay out and was spraying the pulleys with the powerwasher (big mistake).

Now when the truck idles, it sounds almost like a diesel. Visually inspected the pulleys for wobbles and they looked smooth.

Tonight I removed the serpentine belt to inspect the belt and pulleys. Idler pulley #2 (next to power steering pump) made noise when it spun and felt rough.

Did some research online, and apparently these idler pulleys fail often because the bearings are unsealed.

Now, I have 36,500 miles. Will the powertrain warranty cover the idler pulleys?

Worst case, I get a replacement pulley (which are sealed and will be less prone to failure for ~$30).

 

Yes it should cover you. Put it back together and take it in.

Question: Why would the power washer cause a problem? How is it any different from rain water getting inside the engine bay?

 

i ended up replacing my idler pulley a few weeks back. at first i thought maybe the timing belt was making alot of noise so i replaced it but the noise didnt leave and everyday it just got worse so i took it in and the idler pulley was bad and now its silent. i had around 90K miles but even at 100K my guy who works only on toyotas says its unusual for them to go out. but the sound was very high pitched and pretty much like a diesel kinda so its probably gone bad

 

High pressure drove water/dirt into the unsealed bearing.

For those who have bearing problems- here's an excellent thread on an FJC forum: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...154-idler-pulley-bearing-failure-what-do.html

 

x2 everytime i power washed my engine it was fine until a few minutes when all the mud and dirt i missed fell and caused more sqeuaking/noises

 

Thanks. That FJ thread was pretty revealing, lots of good detail in there. It's really too bad the bearings are not sealed.

 

i think that fj link should be a sticky..

 

Idler pulley is NOT part of the powertrain warranty. 3/36 is all you get. I had one go and read the warranty carefully, it's not covered.

 

I had an idler pulley fail on my 05 at around 65K. My dealership diagnosed the howl coming from under the hood as a bad alternator and basically told me it could fail tomorrow and it would only cost $600 to fix. So, not trusting my dealer, I bought a $5 mechanic stethoscope from Harbor Freight and discovered it was an idler. $35 and 30 minutes later and she's quiet again. I love my truck but I hate my dealer!

 

another primitive tool but still just as effective is to take a long flathead screwdriver and stick that on the end of the idler pulley. you can put your ear on it and it should be pretty quiet. a bad pulley would be loud just the same.

 

Welcome to the forum! Good job on the diagnostics!

 

Just replaced the idler pulley tonight. Easiest to remove the skid plate. Took about 20 minutes. Allen key in the tensioner is a good trick.

BUT, I found the other upper idler pulley isn't in great shape either. Guess I'll order another one from Rock Auto (36173)

 

Be careful with putting a solid object between your head and an area filled with moving parts. That thought just scares the hell out of me. I use a piece of heater hose if I don't have a stethoscope handy.