Howdy guys,
I have been operating a '97 V6 Tacoma 4WD in a high water/muddy environment since I bought it. Overall, it has performed VERY well. But one problem that keeps re-occurring is the low-sitting idler pulley bearing just does not last long. There are MANY threads on how to replace the bearing but not much on which type of bearing to use for what application. The local NAPA parts house sold me a SKF 6301-2ZJ SHIELDED bearing with 2 Metal Shields as a replacement. But I am now of the opinion that what I need for my application is a SEALED bearing such as the Timken 6301-2RS with 2 Rubber Seals. I am also considering replacing the factory lube in the bearing with waterproof grease (if possible) to better deal with my wet environment. Thoughts? As always, TIA!

 

A rubber sealed bearing should give more water resistance that a metal sealed one.

It may be possible to get a bearing already lubed with water-resistant grease.

Here is a bearing interchange Pdf that has been helpful to me in the past: http://www.skf.com/binary/79-66347/457013.pdf

 

Exactly my thoughts. From what I read, the SHIELDED bearing I have been using still has an approx. 0.005" space between the (2) metal shields and the inner race which will allow water into the bearing to wash out the grease. But the (2) rubber seals on the SEALED bearing contact the inner race which should minimize water penetration at the price of just a bit more friction. If I can prolong the grease life by using waterproof grease and minimizing water penetration, the bearing should live quite a bit longer. Appreciate it!

 

Is this the bearing down below the A/C compressor? If so, I'm shocked that mine is still going at 382,000 miles. I did a complete timing belt job last year and wondered at that time if I should replace it....



Andreas

 

That is it. The beltdrive idler pulley bearing sits very low on the engine for high water/mud use even with a 3" lift kit. It will usually let me know to change it out by starting a high pitched squeal. With the high water/mud environment I operate in, I have gotten as little as 5 months out of the 6301-2ZJ SHIELDED bearing which was supposed to be the same type as the OEM bearing. I have a couple of SKF 6301-2RS SEALED bearings on the way. They come with a general purpose grease from the factory so will disassemble/degrease one then reassemble with either a MARINE or waterproof lube. Will keep the other 6301-2RS SEALED bearing with the factory grease as a spare.

 

Nachi 6301 sealed. Did both of mine with these. You can find them for $5 on eBay.

 

Thanks! I am convinced that using a high quality SEALED 6301 bearing such as Timken/SKF/Nachi/etc. is the way to go for most applications including mine. Bottom line: This is a VERY inexpensive DIY fix even when using a high quality bearing. The SKF 6301-2RS SEALED bearing I will be using was only $8.99 including shipping.

 

I seem to remember looking at that idler and thinking the bearing was non-replaceable. Are there two versions?




Andreas

 

The factory beltdrive idler pulley on this '97 V6 Tacoma 4x4 has a replaceable 6301 bearing. Toyota does not sell the OEM bearing separately from the idler pulley assembly so just replace the bearing with the high quality SEALED or SEALED/SHIELDED bearing of your choice. The bearing is retained in the pulley by a C-clip but the bearing must also be pressed in/out of the pulley. Some of the aftermarket idler pulleys use a press-fit bearing without a C-clip. You can press the bearing out of those as well. I carefully removed both rubber seals from the SKF 6301-2RS SEALED replacement bearing, cleaned out all the factory grease with solvent to avoid any incompatibility, re-greased the bearing with Marine grease, reinstalled the rubber seals, then pressed the aftermarket replacement bearing into the factory pulley. At this point, I am expecting a much longer service life from this SEALED 6301 bearing lubed with Marine grease. Time will tell. HTH

 

Just a quick follow-up on changing out the factory grease in the SEALED SKF 6301-2RS bearing: The (2) bearing seals are easily removed with a dental pick without any damage to the seal itself. The factory grease in the bearing appears to be quite sufficient for most applications. But I completely removed the factory grease with solvent and went back with WD-40 Specialist® Blue Calcium Sulfonate Multipurpose Grease, an NLGI Grade 2 grease now available at Home Depot. This grease has the corrosion resistance & water wash-out properties of a marine grade grease along with the extremely high drop point of 650 degrees F while offering high impact pressure lubrication. (2) other Calcium Sulfonate marine greases I looked at were the tried & true boat-owner favorite LUBRIMATIC Marine Grease & the synthetic AMSOIL marine grease. Any of these marine grade greases should outperform ordinary or even marine grade lithium complex grease for my application. WD-40 Specialist® Blue Calcium Sulfonate Multipurpose Grease is a relatively new product. But I liked what I read about it so decided to give it a try in this bearing. HTH