heard the squeal had the pulley and was just waiting to get it reaplaced. Started the car this morning had battery light on no power steering, popped the hood saw the idler missing parked it and took the truck. Got home to see the damage. pulley laying on the bottom, and the bolt bent laying there as well. Treads looked broken but hoped for the best. As I thought snapped. Anyone got any ideas for a work around.

 

Picture(s) would be helpful.

 

Ideas ?
Yea - a drill, an EZ-out, a new bolt from a junkyard ( almost any MB engine newer then '98 ), a new idler pulley and a new belt.
Might as well replace the tensioner while you are at it.
HINT: remove the radiator fan, gives you much more room to work.

 

Why replace the tensioner? If it comes from a wreck it may be no better than the one he has. A new one will cost big bucks and with little reason to replace it.

 

The replacement idler pulley BOLT would come from a wreck, not the idler pulley and tensioner, they should be new.
My reasoning is that if the idler pulley packed it in, then could the tensioner pulley be far behind ?

As to the big bucks, I replaced both on my car for less than $35 including shipping.

 

Thanks for the help! Yea jumped on MB forum, found a few threads where guys used easy outs. Looks like I'll remove the water pump and fan. Anyone know how hard that bolt is? Figure a good carbide bit should work just don't want to break that or I'll really be screwed.
Thanks

 

The real key to using an EZ-Out is the initial center punch on the bolt before drilling. IT HAS TO BE CENTERED !

Who knows, if you remove the water pump, you might get lucky and find the broken bolt protruding from the block enough to grab with vise-grips.

 

You don't mean tensioner then, you mean tensioner and idler pulleys.This I can see, it reads like the tensioner assembly should be changed.

 

I MEANT tensioner assembly. You cannot replace the bearing in the tensioner pulley, it is molded in to the plastic/nylon pulley ( at least on mine it was ).

 

The tensioner pulley comes of of the assembly and is replaceable on its own.

 

OK, I cry UNCLE !
You win.

 

wash the bolt piece down with Kroil Oil for a day. Take your time and go into the bolt, DO NOT get off and start into the side //threads. You got nothing but time, go slo.

I replaced the messed up crank KEY with time and patients. Woody

 

This is from an old post and is supposed to work.

By the way Dr Woody, using patients to work on your car sounds like slave labor. I just hope they were not too sick.

 

Seems to me that washing a bolt with any kind of oil for an entire day would get very tiring.
I'd probably hire a student at minimum wage to do it for me, that would still cost around $250-$300.

 

Thanks for all the great help! Finally got a chance to get it out. Found a S series that had the exact same bolt for .55 cents at a pick n pull. Pulled the water pump off and barely had an EZ out long enough to get it out. But by the Grace of God and a lot of patience ( they we'rent to sickly) got it out. New water pump while I was at it. Runs like a champ!

Thanks Again

Cheers!

D

 

You da man !
Glad to have been of help .....