Which pulley bearing goes out first 5.7 Hemi ?

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Mister Luck

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Going for a belt change and wanted to see if there were any recommendations for tensioner pulley brands and if there were any experiences with certain pulleys expiring before the rest ?
Is the tensioner pulley prone to replacement?
I like OE parts but are there aftermarket brands that are Identical when it comes to the idler and tensioner pulleys ?

Can anyone go into detail how to re-grease the pulley bearings or the bearing types and sizes for replacement ?
Thanks
Like always trying to save money .
 

CrasherAsher

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I don't have brands or anything but the top idler pulley went out on my truck. the one right below the throttle body.
 

Jeepwalker

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OEM pulley would be the short answer.

Since you have to remove the pulley anyway, a guy can carefully remove the bearing seal covers, flush it out, and re-grease. I've done many. It should be part of extended maintenance. They'll last forever if you regrease once -- esp if you do it before they start making noise. The grease gets old/hard/dry and they begin to make noise. I use mobil 1 grease when re-packing. The aftermarket pulleys I've used in the past didn't always fit right and were noticably cheap.

In some cases, with some companies (esp if a vehicle has a unique pulley) the aftermarket pulley is essentially the OEM pulley in a different box. But you never know what yer going to get for most vehicles till you open up the aftermarket box. The cheapies I've bought didn't last long at all (across the board, multi-makes). So I generally re-grease when I can or buy an OEM pulley.

 
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Mister Luck

Mister Luck

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Are any “pulley” bearing sizes (dimensions) available has anybody saved their old idler or tensioner pulley bearings after replacement, I would like to order aftermarket sealed bearings before I remove my tensioner and idler pulley bearings.
 
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Mister Luck

Mister Luck

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All y'all have to do is mic/ measure the bearing and post the dimensions so I can order on line I really don’t want to repack a Chinese bearing I want to replace them with sealed bearings.
You’ll not only be helping me personally but you'd be helping the community.
 
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Mister Luck

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Inside diameter x Thickness x Outside diameter

Or Part number from the face of the bearing
 
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Mister Luck

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Part #6203LAX30. both idler and tensioner pulleys...NTN Canada stamped on mine.
Napa #TEM 900466 is the ones.
I can find TEM 900466 on NAPA

#6203LAX30 I can find a solid pulley and bearing.

Thank you for posting this information.
 

crackerjack1957

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Mister Luck

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A couple of things I learned from looking at my idler pulley
6203 is a design type of bearings where as if you ask and bearing retailer for a 6203 you’ll get a bearing that is 17x40x12
But that’s where the similarities end and the difference in material construction begins.

Here are a couple of examples

Timken 6203-2RSC3 6203-2RS Deep Groove Ball Bearing 17x40x12mm

Nachi Metal Shields Chromium Steel Metal 6203-ZZ 17x40x12mm
 

EdGs

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Hard to believe that 6203 bearing would be used in an idler pulley as 6203 are single row bearings, more suitable for motors, etc., where there is a bearing on each end.

If the bearing is indeed 17mm ID x 40mm OD. I personally would use a 5203 bearing, these are double-row bearings. They are a bit wider, 17mm vs. 12mm for the 6203. So long as they will fit, of course.

I did replace a bearing in an idler pulley on another vehicle I owned, it worked well.

That said, I have never examined the tensioner or idler pulleys on our Ram's, so I am not sure if a wider bearing is used or there is room for one.

If this is indeed the route you wish to take, get a good quality bearing, SKF, MRC, etc.

JMHO, YMMV.
 
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Octane

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The aforementioned idler with bearing and the tensioner uses same bearing.And these bearings are same dimensions as the Napa bearing noted in other post
 

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Mister Luck

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Bearing Clearance


Types of Bearings and their Code in Bearing Number


PDF of above bearing code numbers

 
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Mister Luck

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5.7 with hydraulic power steering pump
serpentine diagram

17F5D7BA-F8FB-459E-B508-1F4DA092B15D.jpeg
1. idler pulley

2. upper idler pulley , lower idler pulley
also location of AC clutch

3. crankshaft pulley

4. alternator pulley

5. power steering pump pulley

6. water pump pulley

7. serpentine belt
 
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Octane

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#4 alternator. As mine has electric steering and doesn't utilize #5.Other pulleys should use the same bearings as discussed
 
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Mister Luck

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24E4DA16-6122-4612-9036-40668396948D.jpeg
5.7 HEMI with Electric power steering
serpentine diagram

1. idler pulley
2. belt tensioner pulley
 
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