Idler Pulley Gates Parts (Solved)

Hello, guys

I'm only considering replacing a tensioner pulley (not the whole tensioner arm). I found this picture in the TacomaWorld forum and I have a question.

For the tensioner pulley, the picture shows Gates part number is 36174 which is the same as the middle pulley underneath the tensioner pulley No. 1 Idler 36174. Could someone confirm this can be used interchangeably?

 

@Chuy might know.

 

Doesnt work for me. The gates pulley do not have the same offset.

 

@Bruce988jl might know, I believe he did a write up for all the pulleys years ago

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4-0-idler-pulley-replacement-oem-vs-gates-reference.516475/

See attached link for additional info.

 

When I did mine, I just bought the entire tensioner and only used the pulley. I still have the arm in a cabinet somewhere.

They looked the same to me, but I heard conflicting information.

You also just replace the bearing on your old pulley. There is a thread here somewhere with part numbers and instructions.

Good luck.

 

@Bruce988jl I read it multiple times and thank you for the time to write that post. @DoubleB as @Chuy recommended the Gates Idler #1 - 36174 will fit the tensioner pulley; however, it would be better to use it with a longer reverse-threaded bolt to have more bolt engagement or just reuse the old pulley and replace the bearing. Do you know how long should the bolt be or info about the tensioner bolt @Chuy? there is a bolt manufacturer near my house, trying to see if I can find the bolt there.

 

Did you buy Gates or OEM parts?

 

I added onto that diagram when I did mine since like you I was a little confused, and also to just compare my prices. I ended up getting all OEM stuff for the piece of mind, basically found the cheapest Toyota seller for each on ebay, Toyotapartsdeal.com, etc. For the tensioner it was my understanding after research that the

$42 Gates 36174 Idler Pulley

Gates 36174 pulley would fit physically but wasn't the best for that position with that bolt and stuff. With 165k at that time I decided it was worth the bit of extra money to save the time and piece of mind to just get the OEM tensioner and just use the pulley, kept the tensioner on the shelf knowing I'll probably change it at some point eventually if I need to or have the stuff off to access it.

 

I used all Gates parts from Rockauto. I reused the stock hardware (bolt, ect).

 

When did you install them and any updates on how good are they? I'm thinking of getting 3 Gates pulleys and 1 OEM tensioner. The price comes out to be about $211 compared to all OEMs which is about $300.

 

I did this in December of 22. My 2nd gen is no longer a daily driver so only about 5k miles or so. No problems since.

 

This is the pulley i used to replace the tensioner pulley. Exact same dimensions as OEM. I also don't drive daily and only have a tank or 2 on it. But so far so good.

$40 5203-2NSL Nachi Double Row Angular Contact Bearing 17x40x17.5 Sealed

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045DWDJE/?coliid=I1UZV7P46V37ND&colid=R8QNFZHCFTMJ

 

As has been pointed out the 36174 pulley will fit but due to the different offset, the bolt loses thread engagement, about 5 threads as I recall. It was a perfect replacement for the tensioner pulley on our 07 Lexus ES350 with the 3.5 V6, same engine as in gen3 Tacomas.

So, a 3/8th inch longer bolt should do it. I think a better option is to replace the bearing in the pulley. I have more details in this thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...tensioner-pulleys.480961/page-9#post-29600339

 

After watching a bunch of threads on here and Faye Hadley's video on YouTube.

This was what I did. For the pulleys, I used Gates parts for the three idlers. For the tensioner pulley, I bought a whole OEM tensioner assembly and installed just the pulley itself. I saved the mount for future use if I have to replace the AC compressor then that is when I will replace the mount. Thank you guys