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Replacement Idler Pulley is Smooth (not grooved)?

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Lacudda

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Greetings,

Info: 2008, vr6, 270Kmi. Purrs like a kitten and doesn't drink a drop of oil between 5k changes.

Problem: Heard a whining/whirling noise coming from the front of the engine, worse when the AC kicked on. OK, no big deal, ordered new belt, tensioner, and idler pulley from a popular online parts site. Pulled the belt and tensioner but when I got to the idler pulley, I noticed the mounted one had grooves and the new one was smooth.

Question: Given that it's a double-sided belt, shouldn't the idler pulley have grooves like the old one? I looked at all sites that have pictures and they are all smooth. Searched this site and couldn't find any discussion. Any thoughts?

Turns out the tensioner was bad (really bad!) but the idler seemed fine. So for now, it's new belt, tensioner, and old idler pulley.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Hello and welcome to the forums.
I had the same when I replaced mine. Put the smooth one on anyway, and now 5k+ miles later the new one looks like it has grooves. It doesn't really, at least in no way to be considered grooves.
 
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#4 ·
I found the correct grooved idler for my sons 3.2 VR6 Mk4 R32 which uses the same type of double sided grooved belt so they are available. If the current grooved Idler is not making any noise and running smooth then no real need to change it.
 
Discussion starter · #5 · (Edited)
Good to know. The current pulley is metal plastic and grooved. Replacement is plastic and smooth. The bearing seems good, No slop, good resistance (but not tight) so I'm just going to go with it.

She's got 270K mi. The motor and drivetrain will probably go for another 100K. Unfortunately it's a mid-west(US) vehicle and is challenging to work on. I do what i can but the clock is ticking.
 
#7 ·
Roller bearing idlers do not fail instantaneously. You will hear the noise. if the bearing has no signficant free play and runs smooth and makes no noise then it has life left in it. You can load up the parts canon if you want !! ha ha
 
#8 ·
I don't believe I said it will suddenly lock up and cause a roll over..... we are probably talking about an OEM $30 part, which is more than likely supplied by INA originally...... how much can you really save on that?
 
#9 ·
I agree but if having problems locating then no major risk in continuing to use it. I was just having a dig at the guy who is always saying load up the parts canon if you want to ! So if my humour was a little oblique
 
#10 ·
No, I got the canon reference.... I LOLd over here... gotta try harder to get under my skin.
The correct part isn't hard to find, but if you're looking on Amazon or something, it might be.
I'm just saying, that based on the little that I know, I don't want some Chinesium sealed bearing in my idlers.... especially since they last so long for the little they cost.
 
Discussion starter · #14 · (Edited)
Heated conversation over a pulley!! I love it. To add a little more, the previous owner had it serviced at the local VW dealer. Gave me a +4" thick stack of records so I assume that current grooved pulley is a genuine VW part. When i search parts.vw.com, the pic given is a smooth pulley whereas the tensioner clearly shows grooves. Maybe there was an update. Also the old one is plastic as well, my bad.

I realize it is generally smart to replace the set but I'm going to hold off on the idler. It's solid and I have a spare if it starts to go bad. But since it came up, what is, and where does one get the "correct" pulley?
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
Well apparently I can't spell pulley or grooved so no comment on your spelling abilities.

Tensioner part# 022145299E
Idler is either 022145276A or 03H145276A <-- both are smooth.

Just wondering what others have found that have the grooves?

As for parts cannon, it's out...sort of. Owned it for four years, put on over 20K mi at this point. Last year both rear coil springs snapped. New Bilstein shocks and OEM springs. This year: New gear oil in the diff's and $$ vw transfer case fluid (all nasty). Flushed tranny with multiple fluid changes (pan bolts too rusted to get off so no filter change.) New serp belt and tensioner with spare idler :) and the biggest improvement was a new MAF. When I bought it, there was a terrible hesitation when first started unless I gave it about 30 secs to get its sh*t together. Was told the in-tank fuel pump was failing. Well one day I purchased vag-coms from RT and checked things out. The pump seemed fine but the MAF was a little glitchy. Replaced with a Bosch and it running great. Better fuel economy and no longer belching out raw gas smell when first started.

So last thing on my list are the spark plugs. They have over 70K on them so why not. But I swear, the cannon will be put away. It's just hard to let it fade away due to neglect.

Thanks all for the input and entertainment.
 
#17 ·
If you're reading the part numbers off the parts you've pulled off your engine, it's not possible for the used part to be different than the new part and still have the same part numbers.... one of these things is not like the other!
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
I use parts.vw.com, enter my vin, and select the local dealer. Unless I'm mistaken, that is the official VW parts site correct? In this case, I was able to get the pulley 022145276A from FCPEuro for half the cost. Again, assuming it's genuine and not counterfeit. And to be honest, the dealer parts department in my area act as if I'm a fool for putting any money in a 16 yr old vehicle so I try to avoid like the plague. Just my experience, your experience may vary.

I think what's missing here is that the current part is smooth while what's on the vehicle is grooved. So either the one on my 08 is an older part which VW replaced with the new (smooth) version or perhaps there's a grooved pully from another motor or application (like a 3.2 as rgh0 suggested) that the dealer elected to install and others may use on the Touareg. Who knows. I'm sticking with the grooved one until it starts humming. If I'm stuck in the mountains and end up hiking 8 miles out of my property because my belt snaps, I'll be sure to share my experience

If someone knows the part number and supplier for the grooved idler pulley, that would be great.
 
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