Hey folks, long-time no-see, but I have lurked about now and then.
I want some opinions.

Here are the facts:

91 4runner, 3.0 auto, 210,000 mi, rusty and getting worse by the minute. 2nd family vehicle, gets less than 7500 mi a year.

Every fall I think, "this will be it's last winter," but it just keeps on going.

Soooooo, I'm getting ready to do the whole timing belt/H2O pump/idler and pulley deal and see if it can make it for another year.

THE QUESTION:
Do you think I should replace the fan idler bracket/ dummy H2O pump just as a preventive measure while I am in there?

The current one is quiet and smooth, and the new ones (factory supplied) are quite pricey. Search on the subject and you'll find the consensus (here anyway) is that the aftermarket ones are junk.

Thanks in advance.

 

i would wait for it to fail. you may be surprised and get a lot more than one more winter out of it.

 

Why risk it exploding, or seizing up and leaving you stranded?

If you will already have it all torn apart, replace it. Then keep your current one as a backup/emergency spare. Its such an involved process to get in there and replace that thing, I wouldn't want to spend all day redoing it. I would also not want to replace the radiator, belts, fan shroud, etc if the thing seizes and explodes.

 

I don't think I'd replace it unless it showed some sign of wearing out or breaking, especially if its a Toyota part. A cheap aftermarket part may not be as good new as the OEM part is now used. But that's just me