So my 1999 e39 528i wagon had a hydraulic pulley and when it started to make noise i bought a new one not realizing that i had bought the mechanical one. Thankfully it fits fine on the car but I heard somewhere that cars that came with a mechanical tensioner didn't have idler pulleys. Any of you guys know if i should keep the idler pulley on?
moved to E39 forum
Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!
Where did you hear that? How else can you keep the belts tight?
Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.
Who needs the belt
So your replacement is just fixed-tension and doesn't have the spring shock? As long as it all fits, it should be OK but the other one is far more desirable for 2 reasons - you get 'perfect' tension (no need to worry about too tight / too loose) and it 'self adjusts' vs. a fixed tensioner. If you bought your tensioner from FCPEuro you could just send it back and get the right one, even if it was used! #yetanotherFCPplug
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
The "hydraulic" tensioner is a regular coil spring in an oil-filled chamber, with a rubber cap. The roller assembly pivots on a pair of grease lubricated needle bearings. At this age, the factory assembly probably has a split rubber cap and gummy or dried-out grease.
The "mechanical" tensioner is a large torsion spring. The spring is operated dry, with the two half-cylinder castings contacting each other. This sometimes results in an annoying squeaking. The spring is also vulnerable to rusting, especially if you don't have the under-engine "splash cover" installed.
Last edited by djb2; 09-23-2018 at 11:10 AM.
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