Hello all,

I'm thinking about changing out my idler pulley to a flanged style pulley to remedy an issue I’ve always had on my car. The Gates 36270 is the pulley I’m looking at. Reason for doing this is my belt walks a bit on the tensioner after cold starts and causes some variability in belt tension. When this happens the tensioner will make a periodic clicking noise for a few seconds to minutes depending on how cold it is. (In the middle of summer this issue actually disappears) The previous owner had a shop replace the tensioner, belt, and alternator right before I purchased the car but this issue persisted.

My questions are, has anyone else had this issue and tried the flanged pulley on their car? How difficult is the swap to do? I changed my oil this past weekend and was scoping it out and it looks like a tight space to get into.

 

I have not had this issue, and I find it difficult to follow as the belt is a ripped one and some of the pulleys have the grooves to keep it place.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

Hi OJ
I would check some of the threads here, as I think there was a revision in the belt, the idler and the tensioner. I think the original had a flanged tensioner and a plain idler (or perhaps it was the other way round), but after the revision they were the other way round. If your car is an early one then check out the parts breakdown at JLR classic parts which will give the VIN changeover point. Lots of things changed at VIN G49701. There is a thread on changing the bearings in the idler and tensioner for very little money, and I have done this. My car is a late (2008) model, so has the revised setup.

Pete M

 

Erased... off topic.

 

There definitely was a revision to the belt, idler and tensioner, but that concerned the supercharger belt on the supercharged models.

I am not sure whether there was a modification on the "normal" belt on the n/a models, as well.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

In my case it looks like both my tensioner and idler pulleys are smooth and non flanged. And the belt routing appears to have those 2 pulleys back to back. I have a 2007 4.2 NA.

 

Hi OJ,
My 04 xj8 (x350) 4.2N/A is doing the same thing. Click and pops on cold startups, runs great otherwise. The duration of the noise seems dependent on ambient temperature and time left sitting. I started mine, ran up front and spotted the belt walking fore and aft on idler and noticed the belt riding up and over the lipped alternator pulley about half the width of the serpentine belt. My pulleys (tensioner, idler are smooth). I replaced idler, tensioner and waterpump in warmer spring (60F) temps and had no issues all summer. As soon as ambient temps dropped into 40f’s the noise showed up. Sitting overnight in cold temps upon morning startup it pops and clunks maybe 10-15 times then goes silent. 4-6 hours later at the same cold ambient temp upon startup it may only make the noise 1-2 times and not as definitive and slightly vague sounding. I think I may do the flanged idler. Hoping for more info as well.
new parts I put on in spring.
GATES 38279 Tensioner
ACDELCO 38028 Idler
GATES K060910 Belt
ACDELCO 252800 Water pump

 

I did read the TSB on the Idler pulley and is for correction of belt tracking issue. Calls out part# for a lipped pulley.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...837d1675787104

 

CONTINENTAL 49145 is also listed as compatible with the 2007 XJ8.

 

OutpostJaguar, I did replace the idler pulley and it went completely silent. Wasn’t a bad job to do at all. C2C 37064 ...............Flanged idler pulley
several options out there for about $20