RUST BULLET AUTOMOTIVE



OMIX-ADA Car Parts
APW LARGEST SELECTION OF AUTO PARTS
Minutemod: Replacing a Noisy Tensioner Pulley on the 3.0l
4x4Wire TrailTalk Forums Galleries Search 4x4Wire
www.4x4wire.com/mitsubishi/tech/minutemods/pulley Short Cuts
[Main Page | Intro | News | Projects | Reviews | Tech | Gallery | Trails | Links]

Author: Phil Hansford July 1, 2000

Applicable Vehicle: Any Mitsubishi SUV/ pickup with 3.0l V6 (6G72) engine

The fan, alternator and water pump on the 3.0l V6 are belt driven off the crankshaft: this belt runs on a series of pulleys and tensioner pulleys, which are bolted on the front of the engine. After thousands of miles of faithful rotation, the bearings in one or both of the tensioner pulleys may begin to elicit a high-pitched whine to warn you they are in need of replacement. This is a very simple procedure, which can be performed with a socket set, and some anti-seize.



Diagnosis...Noisy


tn_front_view.jpg
The arrows indicate the belt pulleys

Begin by identifying which pulley is causing the disturbance; take a piece of hose, put one end to your ear, and use the other end as a stethoscope, probing the front of the engine, until you identify the source of the whine. If in fact one of the pulleys is the culprit, you are ready for surgery.

Start removing the belt by loosening the adjuster (just behind the top pulley), until there is enough slack to remove the belt. Keep track of how the belt was routed, so you will not have trouble putting it back on. If the back of the belt is getting cracked up, this is a good time to replace it.


You Can Feel the Tension...

After liberally soaking the retaining nut with anti-seize, back the nut off, and remove the offending pulley. Rotate it in your hands to ensure that you have the right one; the bearings will be sticky and noisy.

tn_belt_route.jpg tn_old_pulley.jpg tn_new_pulley.jpg
The arrows show the nut that has to be removed to take off each pulley The old pulley, after removal, is quite rough when rotated by hand The new pulley, by contrast, rotates smoothly, and freely

After you clean the threads on the remaining stud, put the new pulley in place of the old one, and bolt it back on (the pulley I got was from the Dodge dealer, part #MD308882). If you are replacing the belt, put the new one in place - otherwise reuse the old one. Be sure to correctly replace the belt, using the same route that the old one took.

Once the pulley is bolted in place, and the belt is routed, you need to set the tension on the belt, to avoid another irritating belt screech when the vehicle starts up. Tighten the adjusting bolt till the belt's sag is between 110-155 lbs.

Editor's Note: be very cautious when working around fans or belts any time the engine is running.


Contacts: Related Links:


Please support 4x4Wire by visiting our featured sponsors
shop 4wd.com for all your Jeep Products Shop at CarParts.com and Start Saving
Support your hobby by becoming a member of BlueRibbon Coalition
Support your hobby by participating in TreadLightly!

| 4X4Wire Portal | About 4x4Wire | Search 4x4Wire | TrailTalk Forums | Advertiser's Guide |

This site and all original materials contained herein are Copyright © 1999 - 2009 by OutdoorWire, Inc.™ -- All Rights Reserved.
The use of this website, OutdoorWire, or any of its publications or services is subject to the terms of use agreement.
You may link freely to this site, but no further use is allowed without the express written permission of the owner of this material.
All corporate trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This publication and OutdoorWire, Inc. assume no liability for your use of the material contained within this site.
OutdoorWire, 4x4Wire, SUVWire, JeepWire, MUIRNet-News are all trademarks and publications of OutdoorWire, Inc.