Is the idler pulley bolt on the 4.2 XKR (2004) right hand or left hand threaded? I already removed the Supercharger belt tensioner and the supercharger idler pulley. Those two were normal threaded. I then attempted to remove the serpentine belt idler pulley using the "lefty loosey" rule. I am using a 6 point 15 mm socket. I managed to crack the bolt, to loosen, but after half a turn it seemed like it was tightening again. I tried in the other direction and it felt like the same was happening. I tried penetrating fluid and saw no improvement. I don't want to keep turning in either direction because it feels like I am going to strip the threads or shear the bolt.

That pulley is bad, so I don't have the choice to leave it as is.

 

It was a standard RH thread on mine, lefty loosey!!

 

Thanks! Turns out I had it right. It seems the bolt thread is corroded.

I have a combination of hitting it with a hammer, penetrating fluid, and rocking it from side to side. So far, I have loosened it up to five turns. Slowly I am getting it out.

I will keep you posted.

 

I am at 13 turns now. My patience and persistence seem to be paying off.

 

I finally got it out. It turns out, the P.O. had had this pulley changed once before and someone crossthreaded the bolt, but only in three threads at the center. I'm going out to buy a new one.

 

Well done....

 

+1
Always a scary moment. Is this going to come out, or drop me in a world of pain

 

This was my ongoing thought throughout the day. Now finding a replacement is proving to be a challenge. I will try to repair it with a tap.

 

After I successfully fixed the bolt with a tap, I ventured to try it out to see if it would go in easily, and then I noticed this nasty crack on the bracket. There goes my sense of accomplishment for having removed the bolt without breaking it.




Does anyone know how to remove that bracket? I think I will have to take it to a machine shop to have it repaired.

 

Someone is going to tell me that that isn’t a bracket and that I need a new engine?

 

Looking through the JTIS, I finally found an answer. I have to remove the alternator to be able to remove the bracket. I have also found a machine shop willing to fix the bracket. I need to find the part number of the bracket to compare between the machine shop and the price of a new bracket.

Update, I found the bracket used on Ebay for $52 + shipping. If the machine shop charges less than that then I'm repairing, otherwise, I will be from Ebay.

 

Ouch! Sorry that happened to you, but glad to know that you have a reasonably-priced plan to repair / replace that bracket....

 

Yeah, it could've been worse. I'm glad that everything in this life has a solution, and in this case, one that is less expensive than expected.

Unfortunately I didn't get to work on this much today. I had a patient with an emergency whom I had to attend. After dealing with that, when I finally arrived at home at 5 pm, I decided to tackle removing the alternator. Then I was interrupted by the mayor's re-election campaign rally. When they left my street, it began to rain. Now it's dark so that's it for today. I hope I don't have as many setbacks tomorrow.

 

I removed the alternator and the bracket this morning, then cleaned it and took it to a machine shop. They said they would have it by this afternoon and quoted me $50. Seems better to be than to order a the bracket from Ebay and wait a week for it.

 

They machine shop charged me $40. I did have to file down a bit on the area of the weld because it was ever so slightly high causing the pulley to scratch the bracket. After this I tried on the pulley and torqued it down, and it spun smoothly without contacting the bracket. I then went about installing it, the alternator, the supercharger idler pulley, and the belts on the car. I started it up and to my dismay, the belt, although no longer wobbling nor making noise, did slide backwards on the pulley in the direction of the engine block and stayed in that position. Do I need to file down more on that weld, am missing a shim/washer or is that a symptom of a bad belt tensioner?

This is the finished product:




Also, does anyone know if the fan plug connector as shown in this image, can be replaced? The plug cover was brittle and shattered upon touching it.

 

GD,
The axis for the idler must be perpendicular to the plane that the serpentine runs in, otherwise the belt will tend to wander off.

It may be that the pulley bearing surface on the mount isn't perfectly true after the welding, so you might have to do some gentle filing to correct it. Likely since you've already had to do some dressing work to stop the pulley fouling the bracket.

The JTIS electrical guide might give you a clue to the connector type, but it can be a bit of a journey establishing an exact part #

 

Thank you! I did in fact go back and filed it a bit more. Installed it again and the problem was solved.

 

Glad you got sorted.
Changing an idler. It's only one bolt. 10 minute job and what could possibly go wrong...

I'm sure we've all been there.

 

I have learned to not follow this thought process anymore with this car. A 16 year old Jag can be a bag of surprises.

 

LOL! Been there multiple times on this car!

Telescopic Mars communication antenna broke
Changing Windscreen wipers
J Gate Module
Airbox instru-mount
Getting engine cooling fan pack out
getting seats out ... found out battery died
windscreen vents... this forum gave me a USD2 solution
rear quarter windows wobbly
battery cables just needed tightening... yeah right!
Engine earth strap
Power steering reservoir bracket

This list could go on....

GD- glad it all worked out.