[Us3d Napkin]

Hey y'all,

I use this forum all the time, most recently for a weird squealing noise when idling after going through some mud. After some research on the forum I saw that many people had this same problem and ended up having to replace their pulleys. I went to Rock Auto from a link on the forum to get the kit that everyone recommended for sealed bearing pulleys. Everything was fine until I asked the dealer to install them (they said they would even though they were aftermarket parts). The rep at the dealer said that the two idler pulleys and the belt tensioner did not fit. He said that the bolt to put the idler pulleys on was too big and would not fit my car forcing me to buy two from the dealership (at a ridiculous price). He cleaned the old belt tensioner and put the old one back on and gave me all the parts back.

So basically only the one idler pulley fit along with the belt from the kit I ordered. I am wondering if I got the wrong parts or if the dealer rep was lying to me or just couldn't figure out how to install my new parts? The part numbers on the products all match what should've been shipped and from what I can gather these are the correct parts that fit my car, so did I buy the wrong thing?

This is the kit I ordered for my 08 FJ, More Information for GATES ACK070834.
Part numbers 36173 (x2) and 38411 were the parts that "did not fit".

Thanks

 

[redboat]

I bought that same Gates kit years ago and all parts fit .
Redboat

 

[SilvFx]

So you are saying that the dealer said only Gates pulley 36174 and the Gates Belt fit, right?

My conclusion: Mechanic at dealer is an idiot and you paid extra for this person's idiocy and now you dont have a new belt tensioner on there, which from my reading is usually one place where there is a problem.

Second possible conclusion: Service writer didnt explain it properly and there is something else going on, but this seems a whole lot less likely.

Long term solution: Dont use this dealer service again. Find another dealer or independent mechanic or learn to do it yourself. You still have the new parts available to you to do it right.

full disclosure: I have 2010 FJ and recently used the Gates belt, Gates pulleys 36173 (2) and 36174 to do the belt change. Did not buy the separate Gates belt tensioner replacement for 2010-2014 as this is not part of a kit and much more expensive. Checked the belt tensioner pulley and appeared to be fine on mine (<50K miles). Now, you do have to take a bit of time to compare the stock setup and backspacing to the new pulleys/bolts/washers/spacers and make sure to put the washers/spacers on correctly to get the same backspacing. A couple minutes of comparing and thinking it through is required (or consulting the forums). This is my guess at where the dealer mechanic screwed up. He didn't want to think it through so he didnt bother and went with the more expensive OEM stuff. I also compared backspacing on the 2010-2014 FJ belt tensioner pulley to the 36173 and 36174 pulleys and the belt tensioner pulley backspacing DOES NOT MATCH either one. As you will see plenty of guys with the '07-09 models will chime in that the Gates kit for the '07-09 will work perfectly.

 

[Us3d Napkin]

Yeah, I figured the guy was just too lazy to figure out how to make it fit and/or probably just wanted to charge me more for OEM parts. I trust this forum more than I trust the dealer lol. Since so many other people have said that it worked for their FJ's I don't doubt them. He was also trying to tell me that the OEM pulleys were sealed when I have read that they aren't. He then went on to tell me that if it says sealed bearings online to "be careful" because it could just be a marketing trick, so it's safe to say this guy was full of it.

And yes, the belt and part 36174 are the only parts that fit, so says the dealer.

 

[Irving Zisman]

Like Silv said, dont use the dealer. The idler pulleys are super easy to replace. You can do it your self and save $. I have replaced all of mine and I could probably replace all of them in about 10 minutes.

 

[DX FJC]

I remember some of those had a spacer / bushing that went along with the idler pulley. Was that with them?

sent from my cell when I should be working ??✌

 

[Us3d Napkin]

The only thing I remember in the box was the pulley itself.

Yeah I would've replaced them myself if I had had time. I think next time I definitely will.

 

[WebSnyper]

The general lesson here appears to be Non OEM part + Dealer service area = bad experience.

The Non OEM part factor in the equation would likely be fine elsewhere or DIY, but yeah, I'd probably not take parts to the dealer. At that point just find a reputable shop/mechanic and talk to them first about whether they can get the parts you are looking for or would rather you order them yourself.

Sorry this happened. Nothing like trying to do something better than OEM and having it handled this way and paying more for it.