Idler pulley replacement 93-01 KA24de tensioner

[PalmerWMD]

Idler pulley replacement 1993-2001 Altima/Bluebird KA24DE tensioner pulley replacement madeeasy!

This is a step by step guide to easily replacing thetensioner pulley that I see go bad too many times. Howdo you know if you need to replace it? Well it willhowl non-stop and sometimes even worse when turningthe wheels. A good way to test this is by holding along screw driver against your ear while having thetip against the 14mm nut that holds the pulley on.Does it sound really loud and unhealthy? Probablyneeds to be replaced...this is common and nothing tobe alarmed about.

Ok, Nissan put this pulley in one of the worst spot onthe engine...right between the frame and the blockwhere no tool known to man will fit. Even if you doget a tool to fit there is no way to slide the pulleyoff the spindle. Replacing it is pretty easy as longas you have the right tools.

Parts needed:

Tensioner pulley

Tools needed:

12mm socket10mm socket14mm socket3/8 ratchet14mm hand wrenchblock of woodfloor jacksmall screw driverPry Bar

Step 1)

I always start by removing the 10mm bolt that holdsthe coolant resevoir to the frame. The bolt is locatedabove and behind the passenger side headlamp. I don'tbother to remove the coolant hose attached to it,rather I pull the jug up, move it over and kind set iton the back side of the alternator. That gets that outof the way.

Step 2)

Next I remove the 10mm bolt that secures the harnessto the upper alternator bracket(this bracket is a holdpoint for the throttle cable, do not remove thethrottle cable). Also while I am there I remove the12mm nut right next to it. Next, on the same bracketagainst the cylinder head there is one more 14mm boltthat holds that bracket on. Once you remove that boltthe whole bracket will swing out of the way. I usuallytuck it by the injectors just to keep it out of theway.

Step 3)

Next...the engine mount. There are (3) 14mm bolts thathold that to the engine. Before I loosen them I placea thick wooden block on a floor jack, place the jackand wood block under the oil pan and finally jack theengine up to take the pressure off that mount. Afterthat I remove the (3) 14mm bolts holding the mount tothe block. The mount will shift as you loosenit...don't worry, thats what the floor jack is for.Next there is a long 14mm bolt, with a 14mm nut,securing the mount to the frame. Remove that and thenpull the mount completely out of the enginecompartment.

Step 4)

With the engine mount out of the way you now havedirect access to the 14mm bolt that holds the frontside of the alternator pivot. I just loosen that a fewturns. There is another bolt, 14mm, on the other sideon the alternator as well. I loosen that as well. Iusually use a 3/8 air ratchet with a 5" extension toget the back side bolt. The front side does notrequire the extension. Next just use a 12mm socket onthe adjust bolt to loosen the tension on the fan belt.You may have to, though not all the time, use a prybar to push the alternator away from you and towardsthe block.

!!! Be careful of the postive terminal connection onthe top of the alternator, use caution not toaccidentally ground it against the block!!!!

There is no need to remove any of the drive belts atany time.

Step 5)

At this point I will jack up the engine some more tomake room for my 3/8" ratchet and 14mm socket. Becautious not to tear a hole in your oil pan with thejack, jack it up only enough to get the socket down onthe tensioner nut. Loosen and remove the tensionernut. The pulley should slide right off the spindlewith some fancy hand work.

Note: Nissan sells the replacement pulley with a newspindle. The new pulley also comes with a new stylecup/washer on the front and a black cup/washer on theback. There is no need to replace the spindle. Reusethe old washer that comes off the old pulley and tossthe black washer away. Those things, for some reason,prevent you from tightening the pulley correctly.Reuse the old spindle but do not reuse the race thatthe bearing sits on, use the new race.

Also note: Look at the new spindle before you throw itout. It has a round base and then two flat sides onit. The old spindle has the same thing. The brackethole that the spindle sits in is squared off. Thespindle must match this...it should line up this way.Holding it there is a pain but I found that if youstick a small screw driver behind the spindle as youslide the new race and pulley on, the spindle willremain in place.

Stp 6)

Slide the new race on the spindle, slide the spindleover the race, place the old washer on the spindleafter the pulley and then thread on the new 14mm nut.You have to do all this while maintaining pressure onthe screwdriver that is holding the spindle in place.Consider yourself amazing if you pull it off on thefirst try. Tighten down the 14mm nut using the 3/8'ratchet and you are done replacing the pulley.

Step 7)

Reverse the diassembly instructions and you will bedone. You shouldn't have any left over bolts.

One more note about the engine mount. I found thatattaching the engine mount to the engine block beforelowering the the engine back down works thebest...that way you can use the height of the jack toline up the hole on the frame side mounting hole. Thenyou can easily slide the 14mm long bolt back in,tighten it down, then let the jack down.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this kind of workor you lack the proper tools...DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS!!!!Take it to the dealer or another shop. The averagecost for this repair is around $150 dollars if youhave a Nissan dealer perform this work. And I will notbe held responsible for careless, neglegent mechanicwork. You do this work at your own risk. If you followthe instructions and stand back for a minute when yourun into trouble...you should have no problem fixingthis. Have fun and think...you saved about $120dollars.

Credit to our Moderator,Devin Colbert, aka Reverend D

This proceedure can be slightly modified to suit the idler pulley on the 2000 and up sentra 1.8L engine as well. You do not need to remove the motor mount completely though. Just undo it from the frame.