Is your idler pulley getting out of alignment? It can’t spin freely if the transmission is out of adjustment. If you have issues with transferring power from your car engine to your drive wheels, make sure that the pulley is not misaligned.

So, should a new idler pulley spin freely?

Let’s proceed.

Table of Contents

Should A New Idler Pulley Spin Freely?

An idler pulley is a tensioning mechanism that keeps the belt tight so it doesn’t slip on the pulleys. If a new one is not spinning freely, it could be damaged or defective. You should get a replacement.

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Should A Pulley Bearing Spin Freely?

Yes, it should spin freely.

If you have no resistance and the pulley spins freely, then everything is good.

A little resistance is ok too. This could be caused by the seals on the bearings. If you remove the pulley and spin it with your fingers, you shouldn’t feel any grinding or anything unusual.

A lot of resistance may be a sign of bad bearings. You can take off the pulley and spin it with your fingers to get an idea of how bad they are. If they are too far gone, then they need to be replaced.

Should All Pulleys Spin Freely?

In general, when the serpentine belt is not in place, a pulley should not spin freely. The only pulleys you should be able to turn by hand when the serpentine belt is not in place are: the water pump, alternator, and power steering pump pulleys.

The air conditioning compressor has a clutch on it that should spin freely as well but it will not be rotating the internals of the compressor.

If a pulley is spinning freely and it should have been driven by a serpentine belt then there could be a serious issue with your engine or transmission. Also, if one of these pulleys spins freely then it could indicate that something is broken inside your engine or transmission. You may want to consider taking your vehicle to an auto repair shop for diagnosis and repair.

How Tight Should An Idler Pulley Be?

You need to be careful about how tight you make the belt. Some of the pulley systems are adjustable and you need to be careful how much tension you put on them.

When twisted either way from the middle, the tension in the belt must not be more than 12 inch. The belt will be too tight if it is twisted more. The positions do not work for the vehicle.

The Belt should slide without being pulled or held back and a finger can move freely between the belt and pulley when turning both together.

If you tighten it too much, it will stretch out and wear down quickly. The belt needs to be tight enough so that there is no slippage on any pulley but not so tight that it causes bearing wear on any of the pulleys due to excessive tension.

What Causes Pulleys To Stop Spinning?

The pulley on the water pump can stop spinning for many reasons. Pulleys are designed to spin freely, and when they stop spinning, it’s a sign that something is wrong. In most cases, the water pump is binding up, causing the pulley to stop spinning. Replacement of the water pump will fix your problem.

The pulley will need to be replaced if there is damage from the belt on it. If there is no damage, then the pulley can be reused.

The water pump is responsible for pumping coolant throughout your car’s engine. It helps cool the engine and ensures that your car doesn’t overheat during operation. If you notice that your car is overheating or if you have noticed steam coming from under your hood, then you might have a problem with the water pump and its pulley.

If you notice that the pulley has stopped spinning, then you should turn off your vehicle immediately. You don’t want to drive with an overheated engine because of the chance of serious internal damage occurring as a result of long-term exposure to high temperatures.

When the pulley stops spinning, it’s often caused by rust or corrosion in the bearing hub or other parts of the system.

Does The Crankshaft Pulley Move Freely?

The crankshaft pulley is designed to spin freely on the end of the crankshaft. If it does not, then you will have problems with your timing belt being thrown off.

Start your engine and let it run for a couple of minutes to warm up. This will make it easier to check the pulley. Then, turn off the engine and remove the serpentine belt by loosening the tensioner pulley so that the belt can be removed completely.

With a large screwdriver or breaker bar and a wrench, turn the crankshaft clock wise until the number one cylinder is at top dead center on its compression stroke. Check to make sure that both valves are closed on this cylinder before continuing further.

Once you have verified that both valves are closed, you can use your wrench to turn the crankshaft pulley by hand. It should spin freely in either direction without any binding or grinding noises coming from anywhere in the engine compartment.

If this is not what happens, then your engine bearings need to be replaced as soon as possible because they are damaged and causing friction inside your engine which will lead to serious problems if not repaired quickly.

How Freely Should A Power Steering Pulley Spin?

If your car has a power steering pump, the drive belt from the engine turns the pulley on the power steering pump to create hydraulic pressure. A power steering system without hydraulic pressure would be very hard and difficult to turn. When there is no drive belt turning the pulley of the power steering pump, the pulley should turn freely by hand.

If there is no drive belt on the pulley that is on the power steering pump, you should be able to turn the power steering pump pulley freely and easily by hand.

Also, if you cannot turn it freely or easily, then that means that something within the pump has broken or seized up. This will require disassembly, repair or replacement of the power steering pump assembly.

Should You Be Able To Turn A Harmonic Balancer By Hand?

A harmonic balancer (or vibration damper) is a device that can be found on the front of most engine crankshafts. It is designed to help reduce and dampen vibration from the engine. This usually happens at certain RPM ranges, like those that occur during normal driving conditions.

As the engine runs, a harmonic balancer will absorb some of the vibrations and dissipate them into other parts of the vehicle. If this procedure isn’t carried out, then certain parts of your vehicle may start to degrade, such as the crankshaft itself or other engine components.

The problem with trying to turn a harmonic balancer by hand is that in order for it to work properly, it has to be connected to an engine or motor. If it’s not connected properly, then you could end up damaging your harmonic balancer and causing more problems than what was originally there before.

How Do You Adjust The Idler Pulley?

The idler pulley that the belt rides on is located on the bottom left side of the engine. It is usually made of plastic. Just about every snowblower has an adjustment for this pulley. The adjustment may be a set screw, or a spring loaded pin. On some snowblowers you will find two pins and a washer for adjusting

How to adjust the idler pulley:

Locate the idler pulley. Look at how the belt is running on it. The belt should be running down the middle of the pulley, not riding up on one edge of it.

If there is a set screw, loosen it and move the pulley back or forward until the belt is riding in the center of it. Tighten up the set screw and you are done

If there is a pin and a washer with a hole in it, loosen up the pin, move it slightly back or forward to adjust, then tighten up the pin again.