I've got a SASed '88 4runner with the 3.0vze, and every time i go wheeling and it is wet or muddy, the bearings in my idler pulley, (the bottom most pulley), always get crammed with mud and dirt, and i have to replace it, which i have done three times now.

since its a SAS, i don't have the stock skidplate to protect it from debris.

has anybody else ran into this?

any aftermarket pulleys that are better?

home brewed tricks?

Thanks!

 

Have you tried a sealed bearing?

 

I have the pulleys that come from the Toyota Dealership, i don't know if they are sealed or not

 

You mean the crankshaft pulley(bottom most) or the timing idler/tensioner pulley? My crankshaft pulley is always crammed with mud, but there ain't no bearings in it. If your getting anything up in your timing belt cover, it needs replaced.

 

its not the pulley inside the timing cover, its the bottom one on the outside. if you look up from the bottom of your truck its the first one you see

 

keener thats exactly why i like the trails more than mud these days......mud gets in places you thought were sealed ...lol...........they seal oil and grease from getting out but somehow get mud in wth i just had my motor rebuilt and the heads had mud in them go figure on that one ...............mabe it was an old ex lol

 

That would be the crankshaft pulley, no bearings in it or any pulleys outside the timing cover except the Fan Pulley(actually the Fan Bracket Bearing which is sealed). The others not shown in this pic are the Alternator Pulley and the Power Steering Pump Pulley. Possibly A/C, if equipped.

I'm totally at a loss as to what keeps needing to be replaced or why. Are you bending them? Mud Can't hardly hurt them. I don't get what your saying at all.

 

He may be referring to the AC idler pulley that holds the tension on the ac belt just to the left of the crank pulley.

 

I C.

Dammit, don't have no A/C on mine. And I couldn't tell ya the first thing about no A/C idler pulley.

Now I know why I don't want A/C afterall. Cool. Strike that. Nice.

 

judging from that diagram, i'd say its the power steering belt pulley, the bottom most pulley on the OUTSIDE of the timing case

where can i get a good quality sealed one?

 

Have you tried replacing just the bearing? On the 22RE idler pulleys, the bearing can be removed and replaced separately, much cheaper than the whole pulley from the dealer. Also, the availability of sealed bearings becomes a possibility.