Hey everyone. I am new but have lurked for a while. I purchased a 1994 Nissan D21 V6 4x4 XE King Cab truck a few months and it is great. However, today, the truck started smoking in the driveway. I popped the hood and noticed smoke coming from the pulley that is lighted in the picture above the clutch fan. The belt was burning and appeared to be melting. I do not know if any of the pulleys had seized or not because it was difficult to see. Does anyone have a diagram of what this pulley is? I was not sure if it was the idler pulley or not. I am hoping to fix this on my own but would really appreciate your assistance or guidance. Thanks for the help!

The part showed in the picture is an idler pulley. Possible bearing is seized. Remove the belts move the pulley back and forth you will determine this immediately. With the belts removed inspect all belts check all pulleys. If the vehicle is equipped with A/C the compressor clutch can also seize. You should be able to do this without any speciality tools. Basic metric tools. Draw your own diagram nothing the belt location. To remove the idler pulley loosen the nut located on the pulley itself then loosen the adjuster. Spray the bolt with penetrating oil. Good luck

The biggest obstacle is getting the belts around the fan. To gain better visibility and access you might want to consider removing the clutch fan And shroud. Do this as a last resort.

whomadewho wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 17, 2018 3:59 am

The part showed in the picture is an idler pulley. Possible bearing is seized. Remove the belts move the pulley back and forth you will determine this immediately. With the belts removed inspect all belts check all pulleys. If the vehicle is equipped with A/C the compressor clutch can also seize. You should be able to do this without any speciality tools. Basic metric tools. Draw your own diagram nothing the belt location. To remove the idler pulley loosen the nut located on the pulley itself then loosen the adjuster. Spray the bolt with penetrating oil. Good luck

How do I go about loosening the adjuster? Where is this located? As I said, I am new to this truck but would like to learn! Thanks!

whomadewho wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:15 am

The biggest obstacle is getting the belts around the fan. To gain better visibility and access you might want to consider removing the clutch fan And shroud. Do this as a last resort.

If I go this route as last resort, how do I get this fan and shroud off? Thanks!

Figured out how to loosen the adjuster and removed the pulley. It was shredded to bits. Only replaced the pulley since the belt was not damaged. Drove it for 20 minutes and it felt brand new. Wow. Thanks everyone!

Thanks for posting the results. Helps others experiencing the same problem.

Idler pulley bearings failing is relatively common over time. Not a bad idea to carry a spare if you do much backcountry exploration, though you're probably ok now with a new one.