I have a weird noise coming from the engine area, after searching around I found the cause to be the idle pulley , How do you replace it? I see a few bolts that hold it in place. I know you have to replace the whole pulley with hydraulic adjuster. My question is does anyone have a Guide? Does engine require dropping it? or can I do it without doing so?

I notice the hydraulic adjuster leaking fluid out of it...Does this seem about right if its a cause of failure ? Do they contain fluid? I only ask cause I have a slight powersteering house leak at the reservoir and it runs down from the hose that connects towards the belt area. Its not enough to drench the adjuster pulley hydraulic cylinder. Also when barely reving you hear it and you can see the idle pulley move (the noise occurs then) then it goes back an the noise is gone...Im pretty sure they aren't suppose to move unless your using a 19mm wrench to change the belt and should be firmly holding the belt with tension persay...

 

its a 2.4 4cyl, It looks like only two bolts and fair easy to do with out dropping the engine just in a tight space and dont know how long the bolts are?

Oh I just broke 200k this weekend with it on the stock belt Knew I should of changed it sooner

 

The idler leaking is a common enough issue.

The part can be removed with engine in car. Bolt torque 44 ft-lbs

Rockauto has a Gates kit with belt and idler for $117, if you search the internet can find 5% off codes.

 

Ok, Yea I bought a belt about 6 months ago in the hopes of replacing it one day or atleast having a spare belt in case my belt broke in my travels to see my gf 200 miles away lol...always carry tools too...back on the subject..

I work in parts for a dealership so I should be able to get a tensioner fairly cheap...

You said it can be taken off with engine in car...everything ive searched so far says to remove top two motor mounts and use a jack with a board to jack up the oil pan slightly to keep engine in place? Im guessing taking off motor mounts makes it easier with more space or do you need to jack up the motor to get the bolt out ?

Can I skip this process without the bolt hitting the frame work?

 

Can't remember. Would assume if you can get the bolts un-threaded the mount will slip out without requiring engine lifting. The threaded bolt portion into the engine may be 1/2-3/4 inch, is there this much space between the top of the bolt head and chassis to back out the bolt this much distance?

The issue is access with a tool and the bolts can be VERY tight.

The link below provides a nice description of the task plus good feedback comments from readers.

Replacing a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Assembly on a 2004 Toyota Camry - Combibo Communications

The link below provides info on installing the belt which can be challenging.

DIY: replacing 2az-fe serpentine belt - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Suggest having an assistant help move and hold the idler pulley back when belt is installed. And use 6-point tools to greatly reduce the chance of rounding over a bolt head which does happen with tight bolts.

 

Thanks for the links....the one link states the engine must be slightly lifted in order to get the bolt out so i guess ill just take the extra time and do it right and not run into oh...I should of done it this way not that way situation...Bought the part at work 136 with tax not bad...OEM toyota part..

Thanks for the info an input....gonna go but a long 14mm rachet wrench to make it easier

 

only thing im worried about is the bolt torque...i dont have a torque wrench but i estimated it to be well over 44 ft pounds, the pulley assembly on the front end seems to have a bit of play so i kept tightening the bolt till it wont tighten, im worried however about stripping the thread in the block so to speak....I did have to remove the upper motor mount and the bottom motor mount nut that holds it in place.....What a difference it makes and your suggestion about using 6 point tools is a must...i tried using a wrench non 6 point an it wouldn't budge and was afraid of stripping it..

 

Good job!

Most bolts torqued without a wrench are under tightened for large dia and over tightened for small yet expect for critical applications nothing much bad happens.

For this application would guess most likely the bolt would break first rather the strip out the threads.

The 6-pt tool is the only way to go on the tight bolts in locations where rounding the head will result in that Oh xxxx feeling.

 

Well all buttoned up....I strongly suggest when installing the belt, hopefully a new one! considering I had to use a 2nd person to help me put it on that you use a new belt, they pulled down on the breaker bar while i slipped on the belt, that you do the water pump pulley last, I tried the alternator pulley but for some reason when i tried the waterpump pulley it went on with out any effort..The links provided by toyomoho are very helpful and if you just do it by the instructions youll have no problems ...my problems are solved and it even seemed to idle smoother on the rpm gauge...Removing the motor mounts worried me a bit but it makes the world of a difference! Be sure to inspect other pulleys while you have it all apart..Mine seems all fine no loose or wobble pulleys and all turned fairly easily.

Thanks for the links again toyomoho and the suggestion of 6 pt tools! Dont use anything else !

 

I was worried cause the block is aluminum right? I know its a softer metal than iron perhaps im wrong....Your probably right I would break the bolt 1st but I didn't wanna go through having to pull it all apart again and getting a helicoil kit to fix it lol...I can always re tighten it up if needed Ill probably check the bolts next oil change just to be sure they didn't loosen up any or need re torqued