Not sure how long the belt pulleys/tensioner lasts?

[ajacks8]

Needing belt service but unsure of need for pulleys/tensioners. Don’t want to be cheap, but replacing all ps hoses also and that damn trombone pipe is almost $200...so don’t want to throw any money at it needlessly. Best guess is that belts, pulleys and tensioner have 30-40k miles. 2006 4.8is FTW. Any advice, as far as doing JUST belts? Thanks.


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[c-bass]

Originally Posted by ajacks8

Needing belt service but unsure of need for pulleys/tensioners. Don’t want to be cheap, but replacing all ps hoses also and that damn trombone pipe is almost $200...so don’t want to throw any money at it needlessly. Best guess is that belts, pulleys and tensioner have 30-40k miles. 2006 4.8is FTW. Any advice, as far as doing JUST belts? Thanks.


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Definitely replace all the pulleys at the very least.

If you have the mechanical tensioner then I'm 50/50 on it. They're cheap enough to replace but I have yet to hear anyone have one fail. The hydraulic is a different story.

[Bmwtvboy]

Belts mean tensioners. Change it all. I didn't and it was an expensive mistake. Manual/spring tensioners aren't that expensive. DO it right the first time. PS: V8 is always more of a hassle then the 3.0. Just saying.

[StephenVA]

^+1

I have a pile sitting in the garage waiting for install too...

[crystalworks]

I don't generally replace pulleys, idler, and tensioner with belts. But as soon as any thing makes noise I do all of them. The exception being if I've bought a BMW with no record of service. Then, I do the whole lot as PM even if everything is quiet.

[oldskewel]

I think the answer will be different for different people, maybe moreso than with other things. If you're paying someone else to do it, lean towards replacing all at the same time. Similarly if getting "in there" is a major project.

But if you can get the fan off, with access to the whole system, in about 5 minutes or less, with no doubt or drama, you might want to replace things when they need it. This is a system that is easy to see and hear (belts squeal, bearings squeak, torn belts flap, etc.) when something is not right, and there is usually plenty of time during the noisy phase until something fails more seriously.

That requires a good ear though, and a quiet environment for listening. I can see how if you always started up and drove in a noisy environment you might never notice the early warning indicators.