Idler Pulley seized while on highway - should I be concerned

[rjoe]

I have an 07 M45S with 75,300 miles. I was on the highway going 75-80mph, about 60 miles into a trip. First, my BRAKE light came on the dash and the Battery light also came on at the same time. By the time I could change to the right lane and start to get off on the shoulder the Service engine soon light came on and the temp sensor pegged to HOT.

I immediately pulled to the side of the road and turned the car off immediately. There was a pretty good amount of coolant on the ground, it seems the overflow tank overflowed. I had it towed to an Infiniti dealership, they confirmed the idler pulley had failed, which kicked the belt off, which stopped cranking the alternator, water pump, etc. Warranty covered the $263.xx replacement fee and I'm going to have my local dealer look at the car Monday. I had a new battery installed a week ago, they also did an oil change, and coolant flush and service.

Should I be concerned about the overheat? They will make sure the coolant is topped off but should I have them look at anything in particular?

Thanks.

[The Bodyguard]

I think you should be fine if you pulled it over asap and you absolutely know the cause was due to the belt coming off... Nothing prior to this incident caused it to overheat right!?

You should be good!!

[rjoe]

Never overheated before, and the rest of the drive - 200 miles - the temp was back to normal temp the entire time.

[The00Dustin]

This is similar to what I was concerned about in a post a while back that got no responses. I am wondering whether or not idler pullies should be replaced as routine maintenance and/or whether or not they should make noise for a good long time before seizing when a bearing is going.

[Black_Mx]

I had the idler pulley off the AC belt go bad in the summer time that kept shredding my belt. Went through three belts before I could figure what was causing it so I would recommend to everybody to check their idler pulleys as well in their regular maintenance.

[szh]

As I recall, I had the idler pulley replaced one time when I had the belts changed ...

My 2003 M45 is now at 135k miles or so. I still love the unique look of the car - not a soap-dish turned upside down like most cars today.

Z

[PlatinumM35]

Bump........I just changed my belts two days ago. As far as the idler pulleys ago, what type of wear should we look for? I didn't notice anything out of wack, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

[rjoe]

I changed my belts around 2000 miles ago and they didn't have any play in them then. Not sure what we're supposed to look for, and waiting for the part to fail seems like a poor choice given it makes the car inoperable.

[wingFeather]

After so many years, might as well replace it. It's only $35. They seem to last about 10 years max (the sealed bearings freeze up).