2GR-FE Idler Pulleys

[Tony Prodigy]

G'day again everyone, 

Lately I have noticed a slight squeal developing from one of the two idler pulleys. As the car gently warms up the squeal starts to dwindle and soon disappear and has me on notice to look into preemptively get it sorted before it develops into a more permanent and cringeworthy situation.

I took a cold start video to share with you all so you can hear it too. Not sure why the video isn't available, but the sound is there.

So during my oil service while waiting for the oil to drain, I attempted to remove both idler and tensioner pulleys but only succeeded in removing idler. The tensioner pulley was a right old mongrel to get the bolt to crack, even by wedging a piece of wood to stop it from its detensioning travel. 
Firstly, I know I didn't have the right tools, as the clearance is very limited, but was able to improvise the best I could. I have since ordered the correct serpentine/pulley  removal kit here.

I abandoned the idea of the tensioner pulley and concentrated on the other instead.  As you know, the GSV50 has electric assisted steering so it's one idler pulley less than the 40 series due to no power steering pump. What a relief. I would also like to mention that the serpentine belt is still in excellent condition with no visible cracks or major wear, so I left it as is for now.

So back to the upper idler. It tested ok with no noises whilst trying to spin it up. It still has that slight firmness about it indicating sufficient grease remaining. So it definitely looks like it's the other one. Silly me, I forgot to get a photo of the bearing number. I believe both pulleys are the same, so I was just thinking to get new bearings and just press the old ones out. Would anyone know what the bearing numbers are on these as I  really don't want to fork out $80 per pulley when I can swap the bearings out for around $15 each. The pulley's themselves are in excellent original condition and it would be a waste to bin them.

After a quick clean it was time for the reinstall. Curse words starting pouring out shortly thereafter after several failed attempts to get the bolt to line up with the threaded hole as you cannot, for your life, see what you're doing. It's all done by feel. I decided to use some electrical tape and form a loop around the pulley then slowly lower it into position and try get the thread started. Finally !! I managed to get it in, then torqued it to 40 ft lbs. I have since read that's actually 32 ft lbs. 

I managed to only just fit the torque wrench in the space available and man it's close !

As for the Tensioner, I am thinking the whole assembly needs to come out which also means having to remove the Alternator to get access to the mounting bolts. Would this be correct ?

Anyways, I managed to get it all put back together ok without buggerising anything, started it up to check and all was good.

Please share your pulley experiences if you have them. I know you've tackled this a while back Ashley. It's not as easy it looks, especially without the correct tools.

Thanks for reading guys.

Cheers

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by Tony Prodigy

[campbeam]

Good trick to use electrical tape to help support the idler pulley while you start threading the retaining bolt. 

Attachment lists the part number for the idler pulley and the cover plate. 

The tensioner pulley can be locked back using a nail, allen key etc to reduce the tension on the serpentine belt. This is done using a long ring spanner in the anti-clockwise direction. To undo this tensioner pulley bolt, you need to use a clockwise direction. When I was replacing the water pump, I am sure that I removed or loosened the tensioner puller then removed the holding bracket assembly. This made it so much easier to repack the bearing instead of attempting it while attached to the engine block.

Part of the 2GR-FE water pump replacement procedure is to slightly raise the side of the engine to give you more working space and the clearance to remove the water pump. 

Toyota Squeaking noise from engine compartment.doc

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, campbeam said:

Good trick to use electrical tape to help support the idler pulley while you start threading the retaining bolt. 

Haha, yes. It was driving me mad trying to get it in there by hand AND trying to line up the threads to get it started. Had a light bulb moment. It also helped keep the pulley and rear cover plate level as the plate had a tendency to dislodge itself and it made for a very frustrating few minutes.

10 hours ago, campbeam said:

The tensioner pulley can be locked back using a nail, allen key etc to reduce the tension on the serpentine belt. This is done using a long ring spanner in the anti-clockwise direction. To undo this tensioner pulley bolt, you need to use a clockwise direction. When I was replacing the water pump, I am sure that I removed or loosened the tensioner puller then removed the holding bracket assembly. This made it so much easier to repack the bearing instead of attempting it while attached to the engine block.

I should've done a bit of research before attempting this. Thanks for the info Ash. I'll have to watch a tube video to see how others are doing it.

 

10 hours ago, campbeam said:

Part of the 2GR-FE water pump replacement procedure is to slightly raise the side of the engine to give you more working space and the clearance to remove the water pump. 

OK. So are you not able to get the water pump out unless you lift the engine ?

[campbeam]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Haha, yes. It was driving me mad trying to get it in there by hand AND trying to line up the threads to get it started. Had a light bulb moment. It also helped keep the pulley and rear cover plate level as the plate had a tendency to dislodge itself and it made for a very frustrating few minutes.

I should've done a bit of research before attempting this. Thanks for the info Ash. I'll have to watch a tube video to see how others are doing it.

 

OK. So are you not able to get the water pump out unless you lift the engine ?

Yes lining up the threads can be frustrating so there can be a benefit to having small [office worker] hands. I remember trying from both underneath and from above until the bolt got into the right position to start threading.

Always pays to research something that you have not done before or not for some time. Definitely shame on you.😀 especially as you admit to having OCD. Personally, I just admit to being a pedantic p_ick. I will also admit to getting a reassembly task wrong this weekend so had to go back and correct my error. 

Yes, on the Aurion you will have to lift the engine so that you will have the clearance to remove the water pump. Apparently on some other vehicles e.g. Highlander fitted with the 2GR-FE, there is enough clearance. Doing the idler pulleys is a good preparation step for when the water pump needs to be replaced. There should be enough posts on this Forum to supplement your own research about replacing the water pump. 

[Tony Prodigy]

23 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Always pays to research something that you have not done before or not for some time. Definitely shame on you.😀 especially as you admit to having OCD.

😁 It looked like a no brainer at first so I decided to dive in. It was a bad move in hindsight, I agree.

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

I know it’s tight, but in my daily the waterpump gets removed through the void created by removing a headlight 🙂

Also price up OEM bits through rockauto.com. I bought a bunch of Gates parts for about 1/3rd the AU market price for a car that was never even solid in the USA so a 2GRFE belt/pulley set would have to be cheaper and easier!

[Tony Prodigy]

39 minutes ago, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

Also price up OEM bits through rockauto.com. I bought a bunch of Gates parts for about 1/3rd the AU market price for a car that was never even solid in the USA so a 2GRFE belt/pulley set would have to be cheaper and easier!

Yes, definitely much cheaper, but what about shipping ? Do you buy from them regularly ? Is their shipping reasonable enough ?

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

I buy intermittently, and yes the shipping is reasonable - I think it was $22 for belt, tensioner and waterpump in the last delivery.  And the total order was close to $100 cheaper than the cheapest AU price for the same Gates parts.

It’s certainly worth checking so I chucked a Gates Belt kit for a 2014 V6 into the cart:

 

Would have to check if that’s the correct part number, and obviously it includes Belt, Tensioner and Idler as a complete ready to install set so will cost more than just replacing bearings etc.

 

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

And right now:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gates-Micro-V-Belt-Kit-for-Toyota-Priusv-GSA33-Tarago-Aurion-GSV50-Highlander-/133713057529?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0
 

You can buy the same kit within AU for sub $250 delivered.

Always pays to do research 🙂

[Tony Prodigy]

Thanks Aaron. I agree 100%. You must do some digging to get the best prices. It takes a bit of time but the savings can be greater than you think. 

Thanks for the Rock Auto link earlier. I'm going to bookmark them. They have a good spread of suppliers it seems too.

Cheers mate 

[nzzr6]

1. Remove radiator support

2. Tilt radiator forward

3. Remove alternator (x3 bolts)

4. Undo A/C Compressor (x4 bolts), set to the side and use a bungy cord to tie it out of the way, do not disconnect any lines

5. Remove tensioner assembly (x5 bolts)

 

🙂 

[campbeam]

37 minutes ago, nzzr6 said:

1. Remove radiator support

2. Tilt radiator forward

3. Remove alternator (x3 bolts)

4. Undo A/C Compressor (x4 bolts), set to the side and use a bungy cord to tie it out of the way, do not disconnect any lines

5. Remove tensioner assembly (x5 bolts)

 

🙂 

These instructions to remove the belt tensioner assembly got me thinking.

I did not recall doing those steps when I replaced the water pump and repacked the bearing on the tensioner. I must have just removed the tensioner pulley [clockwise] only instead of the whole tensioner assembly.

Looks like I have got another mission to do some research on replacing the tensioner assembly.

This is the link to the Forum thread about replacing the Aurion Water Pump. My post on April 8 links a relevant YouTube video and an instructions attachment.

I had forgotten that I taken about 8 hours over 2 days but I was moving at my own pace and not racing for a deadline. Positive that other DIYs could easily do this within 4 hours. Having the right tools for tight spaces will make the job easier. Even better, if you already have them on hand. 

https://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/57637-specialised-tools-for-tight-access/

 

[Tony Prodigy]

Dang, that's some major surgery. I must say though, I started the Aurion up yesterday afternoon to shift it over one side in the driveway to get the bin out and there no zero noise from the pulley. It was probably due to a higher ambient temperature perhaps. Cold morning starts tend to excaserbate component behaviour and sounds..

[Tony Prodigy]

3 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Looks like I have got another mission to do some research on replacing the tensioner assembly.

Yep. If you want to remove the whole tensioner assembly, and it's quite bulky, from a quick look the other day, there would be some substantial disassembly required as the mount tucks in behind the alternator/ compressor area.

I'd be much happier at this stage to just replace the pulleys, tensioner pulley being [clockwise]🤪 to remove and Idler pulley [anti clockwise].

I hope the tensioner lasts a very long time. 

[nzzr6]

9 hours ago, campbeam said:

These instructions to remove the belt tensioner assembly got me thinking.

I did not recall doing those steps when I replaced the water pump and repacked the bearing on the tensioner. I must have just removed the tensioner pulley [clockwise] only instead of the whole tensioner assembly.

Looks like I have got another mission to do some research on replacing the tensioner assembly.

This is the link to the Forum thread about replacing the Aurion Water Pump. My post on April 8 links a relevant YouTube video and an instructions attachment.

I had forgotten that I taken about 8 hours over 2 days but I was moving at my own pace and not racing for a deadline. Positive that other DIYs could easily do this within 4 hours. Having the right tools for tight spaces will make the job easier. Even better, if you already have them on hand. 

https://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/57637-specialised-tools-for-tight-access/

 

Yeah, i realised when i was doing it that an alternator job would be the ideal time to do a tensioner replacement. Pretty straightforward once you have that and the compressor out of the way

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, nzzr6 said:

Yeah, i realised when i was doing it that an alternator job would be the ideal time to do a tensioner replacement. Pretty straightforward once you have that and the compressor out of the way

Have to agree that an alternator replacement would be an ideal time. Certainly need to plan ahead if you are DIY. When I replaced the alternator, I did not even consider replacing the tensioner probably because it was still tensioning the serpentine belt without any obvious issues.

[Tony Prodigy]

I came across this video by the car care nut which has some relevance here.

 

 

[campbeam]

45 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I came across this video by the car care nut which has some relevance here.

 

 

This video by The Car Nut is so TOTALLY relevant and very informative. I had read that the idler pulleys had been updated so it was great [for me] to actually view these pulleys and the importance of the backing plate. 

Good tip to just replace the tensioner pulley instead of the entire assembly when the tensioner does not need to be replaced. 

If the tensioner pulley is not available separately at a Toyota Dealership then these links may be useful. 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/292777785458?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20201210111314%26meid%3D8bc2299656e24dd7b88226d8a1f360e8%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D302960029412%26itm%3D292777785458%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseWithPLXWeb%26brand%3DDayco&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A2927777854588bc2299656e24dd7b88226d8a1f360e8|enc%3AAQAGAAACIK%2BN2269yJBcvHbU%2F%2Bk5xcyrmFHvLabj2eJUemkj4HdGVs85ID0pCT5JHA2cvyhH0i1LE5qGnBkuNhspUBBcayFd0xiBHqG4WQa8TPIZEVBjhNjnLjxGx5NBJHolJG4Lwx%2FY0D5Q7i2Xf2KrI0T14Ele6IRR%2FMrLjc55BVyPxHx64yVc8dVkZGB22FYEaVk6iXQYo4rU45jDFfZ7IJPTxL1EL1h5tZk9DlnByz1UYkXG1P4tNaGtw0JRcf0bJlP33UQUXyVTvdn2muJZmDlnvgmE8RaFTEMt5Pc9qWpegB7o35RtzNm30IBRmcMB9OGqtrKCcC%2B%2BU2RZRcSh0dueft0TXVDtrP6BxHjThYXPE5PfjFMe5Stg453mnp17E27Qmw3KEisGGRbTzwM%2FntyIIo6UC%2FE8UExDX0B03A7dumZ%2Btwn%2BEWSI9x7r7KS%2FgjZprYPddYrp7DcTG%2Ff1LVaIcbbYHBwxby7iGHmrlwU%2FLFuWm5FBtBBCMe0mAg6E1pfGMJyhzDZrwhpDfwMPYrRNVtNBE0h5bOpVBKhjA2kvKOy1%2FpIknVVuTSigv3wkwi0C0s0cTeY09S7D6qmHQOSs5f8ePwMyFrqUVysv7yU2CZts0xa%2FZYsU7PrmRihxs6bsADCRNmPTZrKi0z%2FdxGnX7%2BBc9bsyLz889FHkYhskDQ%2F64bwYVJFYFIAq0dKvCzgcpyfDujm%2BEqZT7gxONpphXlk%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2047675 

The next link includes the pulley and an additional plate. 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/113318218325?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item1a624aca55:g:H0QAAOSwvkRg0h0Z&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACwPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSR84A%2FGMxXIqJzFmDq6lDLr4MvXdpi%2B801J2UJUlrakkVfwPmUsaynNoCgJW4ZHITQD0tiRaa%2F%2BI7RyT5sIrf8G1%2B0y5BIjLWwlajhWPH7pvoAEPklsde4IxbRPjxqFW8KJo5D%2Btinh60Gr%2F7G7nxbVOmsgdJRscMZYdeDoFkxozqK6ZHiqHoif5%2BamAfzfRSWOPs8FTaq1We%2BDHADaoht4X6WCgQX3eY%2F%2BYau%2FXdTdONpR8iyNi4AAQulE0CQT9pxsFeaPbTj6jUE6ZW1a026ca6gtXpanACxeTpxALMbx9pHMOxhVgVBmYo5QSMt7i7Hd%2Fm7DX7yaGgZeiRRJkE7FtUX9Iqo8pszzusdw0ZiPIO%2FM61ZMgqinmMTOoA9UUrGXN0po8mYQUwkx4V70phQIctaMG0ScwO5FpMFYUi60r6n%2F99R2yZGvoFZUJa%2BFwNLslr2siFF4cIyo8yF6Pw3EVz5t6v37lmBavWEqkSpEy8hFi17F3YeKrQNz9d5XvK9%2BcuufBfAZkQwMZN7Xe%2F06KPxgx8ptVhv4JVjrCO0sBK%2BkFju6JtJEKPkqaeb1sQrr5%2BOCeagp%2Fm%2B5WVl8yEqkLWUPYUjssC72eSrcZPFpTefANBoXM4F0j40V7GYBc04293oPYWjIOKKK3yv5dI%2BvG8dIMqwKj2KhMKfa24Jqz3NE7T4DLDRn%2BBxEgs43rjFj6%2BcSlk%2FAQVd7ljac8FQv7gvCXS0VTAzHYEVXJ9mPRtFaRUcpffTIzRNpCVQ7IypNhwyDeR3c4F9yCPVtEtvHiXvsY8Q1J%2F5QsFfLJZw8u6CYxUvRXXt2gGBu2mVbLnNwkrzmnpzEPE1eOGjjZva74At6KEls6koTFuZkvH9DlFxAkPeog7Yqe6MKCcpfX3|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

 

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, campbeam said:

I had read that the idler pulleys had been updated so it was great [for me] to actually view these pulleys and the importance of the backing plate. 

Yes that's correct. My 50 series has the updated pulleys from factory, so I'm not sure when the update was mandated.

[Tony Prodigy]

Just thought I'd ask.

Are the Tensioner pulley and Idler pulley the exact same thing ?

I see a reference for the idler pulley as being referred to as "Pulley 2" on both hydraulically assisted steer and non assisted. Would the tensioner pulley then be "Pulley 1" ??

I do know that previous models to the 50 series had two idler pulleys and one tensioner pulley.
The 50 series did away with the power steering pump so it has one less idler pulley.