Noise from accessory belt area, what is it?

[Jr's Sho]

Recently, I've noticed a noise that sounds like a marble rolling around a can but it sounds like it does it nonstop at idle. It's hard to hear when you're in the car, but when you get out, you can faintly hear it until you get up close to front of the engine. Sometimes it sounds like something is rattling but nothing that I know of is loose. Is it the sound of a bearing in one of the pulleys going bad or what?

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Jr's Sho:
Is it the sound of a bearing in one of the pulleys going bad or what?

Probably... Pop off the belt and turn them by hand and see...

 

[DavidT]

well this may be far fetched, but I had A "muffled bell ringing sound". It only did it on occasion. I happened to notice the tensioner pulley for the alt/ac (the one closest to the radiator). The nut that holds it in place was MISSING eek!

 

[TAM]

I recently had an upper idler pulley on a 93 atx that was shriking just like a bad power steering pump. Went up and down with the enging speed.

Try loosing the serpentine belt a tad using the tensioner and then spin idler and tensioner pulleys. I replaced upper idler pulley but found the lower idler pulley was also spinning rough. Squirted a lot of oil into the lower pulley bearing and I've got it quieted it down for awhile. I can still hear it faintly when its idling.

<small>[ November 04, 2002, 10:14 PM: Message edited by: TAM ]</small>

 

[qiksho]

I have heard if u heat the idler pully up and then put it in a tub of oil that it sucks the oil in. this would work better than trying to squirt oil into it.

However I have not tried this myself, as I have not needed to...yet

 

[1stGenSHO]

Is it possible to replace only the bearing of the idler pully? It looks like it could be pressed out. (If it does not fall out on it's own..)

1stGenSHO

 

[SHOZ123]

Is it possible to replace only the bearing of the idler pully? It looks like it could be pressed out. (If it does not fall out on it's own..)

Yes it is very easy to press the bearing out and to put a new one in it. The trouble is finding the bearing as it is a special SHO only bearing. Order a Gen 3 SHO idler pulley and use the bearing in it or just use the entire pulley. F6DZ-8678-A

<small>[ November 05, 2002, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: SHOZ123 ]</small>

 

[TAM]

The upper and lower idler pulleys are different. The bearings might be the same but the pulleys aren't. Different configurations in how they go on and the guts of the pulley.

I missed something here - I was referring to Gen II ATX - not gen I

<small>[ November 06, 2002, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: TAM ]</small>

 

[NWGRN94MTX]

I'm sure you can match it up at a bearing house if the dealer doesn't stock anymore.

 

[rangerj]

OK one more time!

The GenI idler pulleys, both, the pulley for the six ribbed belt and the pulley for the four ribbed belt, have an NSK bearing number
BD20-15DWA.

This bearing was made specifically for Ford and is NOT available in the "aftermarket" parts stores, nor is there a comparable bearing available from the various bearing distributors.
It is not a common sized bearing, period.

This same bearing is used in the pulley of the Gen III SHO. The pulley is about $30. Press out the bearing, and press it into your Gen I SHO pulley.

The new Gen I pulleys are $75 and $95 respectively. For $60 you can replace both bearings with very little effort.

Another forum member is in the process of trying to find a less expensive way to replace these bearings.

But for now, the least expensive way is to do as posted above; use the Gen III pulley, or take the bearing out of a Gen III pulley.
rangerj

 

[SHOZ123]

Thank you rangerj i get tired of saying it.......

 

[shodazzl]

You know what I noticed doing my 60k is that I hear that sound occasionally.I have it only on Idle.As I was replacing the timing belt it looked like the CPS wire was hitting the timing belt.Saw some contact marks. Anyone had this experience?

 

[Jr's Sho]

So basically I can buy an upper idler pulley for a Gen. 3 from FPN and just use the whole pulley on my Gen. 2 and it will work? $30 sounds cheap enough for me. Or does the bearing from the Gen. 3 pulley have to be pressed and put into my Gen. 2 pulley?

 

[SHOZ123]

The 3 idler pulleys on the Gen 3s engine are all the same. The bearings will work if pressed out and installed in either of your old pulleys. IMHO the GEN 3 pulley could be used as a direct replacement for the wider V6 pulley and maybe for the narrower one too.

The pre-'99 pulley, has a rounded front edge and a square cut back edge. The '99 pulley has a rounded front edge and has a back ridge to keep the belt from slipping past the back edge of the pulley. The sizes are all the same and they all have a smooth surface (no ribs) for the belt to ride on.