Does anyone here re-pack the pulley bearings?

[regent]

Removing pulleys to re-grease, and then re-install sounds difficult to justify; depending on how much your time costs, the scales may go one way or the other...
Just my humble opinion here

[cn90]

I agree with cn90. If you catch them early before they start rumbling I don't see why not. In large format printers I used to repack only high quality bearings on the fuser roller where temperatures exceed 190deg C such as NTN or SKC and use the Castrol blue disc brake grease after a good flush with spirits. The trick is to remove the grease cap without deforming it. Jeweller screwdrivers slowly pry the cap little by little nicely.

Of course you'd want to have a spare one available in case you botch it ...

precopster is correct,

I just imstalled brand-new serp belt pulleys (tensioner and idle), so I just played with the old pulleys (150K with very very slight play of bearings) for fun...

For those with tight budget and want to have free repair, here is the EASY way:
- Use hook tool with blunt end, gently lift the inner lip of the seal. Go around it.
Choose the seal that faces the inside of the engine, this way it is not exposed to dirt should you cause minor damage to the seal.
- Clean old dried grease using Q-tips etc.
- If you want to be a perfectionist, then soak it in mineral spirits and let it dry.
- Apply new grease using your finger, press the grease in.
- Re-install the seal, outer edge first, use your thumb to press it in.
(For the tensioner pulley, the halves are sort of in the way but you can press the seal in).
- Use a blunt tool to press in the outer edge of the seal, it won't look perfect but close enough.
- Spin it: nice and quiet!!!

This re-greasing business will give you another 50K of life on the pulleys.
All it takes is 5 minutes.

Of course, you are rich and buy new pulleys, don't read this post lol.