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.

 

Got it. So smooth pulley on a ribbed belt. Seems illogical.

Thanks for confirming!!

 

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.

 

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.

 

You're cheaping out on a component that can do a lot of damage when it fails.... risk vs reward...

 

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

 

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?

 

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

 

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.

 

I agree. I always buy genuine name brand bearings - *** / INA, SKF, Toyo, NSK, Timken, etc Just need to be careful what you buy is not a counterfeit.

 

Ha... you got censored for using a quality bearing manufacturer! Epic Fail

 

Note the website does not like the famous german brand now owned by INA and puts *** inplace of F and A and G

 

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?

 

Heated conversation over a pulley!! I love it.

He's a Mech Eng.... I might be able to spell Eng.... it's normal.

Back to your part number... I don't see any part number! 🧐

 

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.

 

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!

 

Didn't get part number off the grooved idler, just went with OEM (022145276A) and purchased from FCPEuro since they were cheaper than the dealer--assuming its not a fake.

When the grooved one blows, I'll slap on the smooth one take a look.

 

Where did the OEM part you ordered come from? When a dealer runs your VIN, the replacement part matches what comes off your vehicle unless it's already been changed incorrectly previously.

 

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.

 

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.

Maybe is this one -> 03H145276A

Accessory Drive Belt Idler Pulley - 2008 Volkswagen Touareg 3.6L V6 A/T Base Sport Utility - OEM Volkswagen Parts

OEM Accessory Drive Belt Idler Pulley for your 2008 Volkswagen Touareg 3.6L V6 A/T Base Sport Utility

parts.vw.com

 

I'm not even convinced that we are talking about the same part any more.
Typically, the idler is on the back side of a belt, which means it's smooth....
The tensioner pulley is typically on the grooved side of the belt, which means it has grooves in it....
If whatever system you're putting your VIN into is giving you a different part than what you are taking off, it's NOT the same part.... I'm not there, so I can't explain why.... I just know that if one has grooves and the other doesn't, they are different... regardless of what some system tells you.

 

We are indeed talking about the idler pulley located just below the Alt and above the AC comp pullies in your diagram. If you trace the belt counterclockwise from the damper pulley, you will notice that the AC is driven on the "back" side of the belt, which I agree is typically smooth, but this is VW so nothing is typical. It's a double sided belt (as I refer to it) and therefore one would expect a grooved idler and not smooth.

The rabbit hole is pretty deep now. I think the short answer to my question is that the smooth pulley is the current part offered by VW but one may be able to source a grooved pulley.

Thanks all. It's been a fun chat. Up next, what do i do when I snap a sparkplug off!!! Let's hope not.

 

I know the OP is probably done with this rabbit hole but I had ordered part # 022-145-276-A. INA brand. I thought it was odd that it wasn't grooved also as the serpentine belt is grooved on both sides.
I wonder if the OP would want to check the metal grooved idler pulley for a part# or brand for clarification.

 

I can't quit now, right!? And the part you listed was spec'd for my 08. Looks like you have a T3 so my guess is there was a revision for T3 and applied to T2.

I mis-typed. My other vehicle (ford) has metal idlers. The grooved one on the Treg is plastic. I'll see if I can get a number off it but at this point I don't want to tempt fate and risk snapping a bolt while trying to take the pulley off. I have a ~700mi round trip scheduled for this weekend. The salt has corroded every damn piece of metal, including the cast block, which is shedding rust flakes as large as quarters from time to time. One of these days that front freeze plug is going to rip through the radiator.

 

I found this topic about this issue in a russian website -> Link

That’s the Google translation:

What conclusions did you come to:
1. The outer diameter of the “groove” roller is 65 mm, and that of the “bald” roller is 60 mm.

2. installing a “bald” roller did not affect the belt tension in any way (the test was carried out by touch)


3. on the “groove” roller the original VAG number 03H145276A is clearly stamped (I apologize for the quality of the photo),

Photo in the logbook of Volkswagen Touareg (1G)
which “does not interfere” with any catalog I know, and to be precise, “does not interfere” with its applicability on a car. Only in one of the catalogs was a non-original replacement RPK 009755/4 found, the applicability of which extends to the Q7.


It’s strange that the outer diameter is larger than the original one by as much as 4 mm and surprisingly coincides with the roller from the 3.0 TDI. Most likely the replacement in the catalog is incorrect.

Photo in the logbook of Volkswagen Touareg (1G)
Based on the results of the investigation, it was decided:

Photo in the logbook of Volkswagen Touareg (1G)
1. Vasya and Tolik are fully acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

2. The version about a new generation of details is considered more consistent and the case materials are sent to the competent authorities for further investigation.

P.S.: Separately, I would like to note that when replacing the roller, several cracks were discovered on the drive belt. After replacement, this product (Contitech 7DPK2074) did not travel even 7 thousand kilometers!

Revizorro does not recommend this product for purchase! Wasted money. Does anyone have positive reviews of Gates? Or is it still worth taking the original?

 

Nice find. So despite the smooth appearance in the sketch on all parts site, this is the original grooved pully part number: 03H145276A.

So who's going to purchase one and post the pic?!

Thanks again all.

 

 

That's OK. I paid w/Paypal. If they don't send the part# I ordered because it's been discontinued and send out the replacement pulley I can open a case as wrong part sent and get my money back.

 

You might still get it... if they've been sitting on "old stock".

 

Fingers and eyes crossed.