1996 850R Idler pulley noise?

T64me · Post by **T64me** » 01 Jan 2015, 12:25

I have replaced the alternator, serpentine belt and tensioner pulley on my 96 850R. I wish I would have replaced the idler pulley when I had everything apart. Before I pull everything apart again I'd appreciate input. Please take a look at the following video and let me know if you think it is the idler:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o9rohm7wt17o0 ... 9.mp4?dl=0

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Jan 2015, 13:12

That sounds pretty bad and it could be more than the idler. If it were me I would take off the serpentine belt and then start the car and see if the noise goes away. The instrument cluster will light up like a Christmas tree but don't worry about that, it will all go back to normal after the belt is replaced.

If the noise doesn't go away you should probably park the car and then replace the timing belt components. If the timing belt was fairly recent you could likely get by with just finding the noisy roller or the water pump and replacing just that component but if you are fairly deep into a timing belt cycle I would just replace it all.

If one of the timing belt components fails it is pretty much "game over" for the engine. At a minimum you would need to pull the head and replace the bent up valves.

If the noise goes away without the serpentine belt on you can likely feel the bad bearing. Based on what you have replaced I would guess the idler pulley or perhaps the A/C compressor clutch bearing. If it is the A/C you can buy a bypass serpentine belt as a temporary measure. The belt I use to get around the A/C is K060495.

...Lee

T64me · Post by **T64me** » 01 Jan 2015, 13:22

Great advice Lee. Prior to seeing your post I dug out my digital stethoscope and poked around at different components. The thing that seems to be making the most noise is the power steering pump. That seems odd to me as I always thought the power steering pumps made noise only when turning the car. This one seems to make noise at an idle (per the video) not when turning the car. I will try what you said though and report back. I was told the timing belt was done 25,000 miles ago, but that does not mean it was done right. They probably just changed the belt and not the other components.

T64me · Post by **T64me** » 01 Jan 2015, 16:15

So I did as Lee suggested. I removed the serpentine belt. The noise went away. With the serpentine belt off I was able to spin the air conditioning pulley. Click on the following link to hear what it sounds like:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9f1vv0dq8vi25 ... 5.mp4?dl=0

I assume this is a very bad sound for an AC compressor pulley?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Jan 2015, 19:18

You found it.

You can replace just the clutch bearing without discharging the system. I think we have some details and a parts source in the repair database.

Here is a link that covers much of the bearing replacement.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=60561

...Lee