1994 LS400: serpentine tensioner/pulley
10-04-16, 07:28 PM
#1
Pole Position
Thread Starter
1994 LS400: serpentine tensioner/pulley
Found out today by my mechanic I need to replace BOTH parts. Going to replace belt that still has lifetime warranty thru NAPA also....OEM $293, AC DELCO $180, GATES $175, DURALAST $173......some cheaper brand on rock auto for $116......any input? my car has 240k on it.....
10-05-16, 10:59 AM
#5
Only replace the bearings inside the 2 idler pulleys. I got mine from NAPA.
One is #6203 2ZJ and the other is #6301 2ZJ I paid $25 for both in 2006. I had 149k mi on my engine with the original bearings when they started to make noises. These NAPA bearings are still quiet. I removed them from the pulleys and took them with me to the store to compare.
Here is an old thread discussing the noise and replacements.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...ngine-bay.html
If you are handy with tools, you can save a bundle.
One is #6203 2ZJ and the other is #6301 2ZJ I paid $25 for both in 2006. I had 149k mi on my engine with the original bearings when they started to make noises. These NAPA bearings are still quiet. I removed them from the pulleys and took them with me to the store to compare.
Here is an old thread discussing the noise and replacements.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...ngine-bay.html
If you are handy with tools, you can save a bundle.
Last edited by DA51; 10-05-16 at 11:02 AM. Reason: spelling
10-05-16, 11:07 AM
#6
You can avoid pressing bearings and replace the pulley itself attached to the tensioner with a gates aftermarket for about $30. I linked to it in my recent timing belt thread. There are also aftermarket idler pulleys but I ended up going OEM on that one.
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10-06-16, 04:12 AM
#10
bad advice...never go cheap.
first of all the gates pulleys at napa are most likely made in china,the bearings da51 recommeded from napa are made in the states by skf. if u have a machine shop..have them press in and out and use this
https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-6400.../dp/B000HBIDME
they have it at napa..i work there btw so i know. i had to do this already and its been 50,000+ miles without an issue
first of all the gates pulleys at napa are most likely made in china,the bearings da51 recommeded from napa are made in the states by skf. if u have a machine shop..have them press in and out and use this
https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-6400.../dp/B000HBIDME
they have it at napa..i work there btw so i know. i had to do this already and its been 50,000+ miles without an issue
10-06-16, 10:12 AM
#11
You can spend top dollar on any car part and it can be also made in china. And just because you have bought one bearing brand and got a made in us part doesn't mean the next time it won't be a made in china part. Been there done that. Its a world market now face it and the parts are sourced from all countries, skf ?
http://www.skf.com/group/our-company/index.html explains it all. Yeah you just lucked out and got a us one next time its from some other country.
One time I wanted some ignition part for a car and went to Oreillys and they had different priced parts so I had the guy pull the cheap one and the expensive one. The cheap one was made in the US and the expensive one was from Mexico go figure?
And whats up with this site not letting you come back and edit sometimes? I have to go completely out and back in just to get a cursor in the edit window.
http://www.skf.com/group/our-company/index.html explains it all. Yeah you just lucked out and got a us one next time its from some other country.
One time I wanted some ignition part for a car and went to Oreillys and they had different priced parts so I had the guy pull the cheap one and the expensive one. The cheap one was made in the US and the expensive one was from Mexico go figure?
And whats up with this site not letting you come back and edit sometimes? I have to go completely out and back in just to get a cursor in the edit window.
Last edited by dicer; 10-06-16 at 10:15 AM.
10-06-16, 07:44 PM
#12
Pole Position
Thread Starter
10-04-23, 05:57 PM
#14
You can spend top dollar on any car part and it can be also made in china. And just because you have bought one bearing brand and got a made in us part doesn't mean the next time it won't be a made in china part. Been there done that. Its a world market now face it and the parts are sourced from all countries, skf ?
http://www.skf.com/group/our-company/index.html explains it all. Yeah you just lucked out and got a us one next time its from some other country.
One time I wanted some ignition part for a car and went to Oreillys and they had different priced parts so I had the guy pull the cheap one and the expensive one. The cheap one was made in the US and the expensive one was from Mexico go figure?
And whats up with this site not letting you come back and edit sometimes? I have to go completely out and back in just to get a cursor in the edit window.
http://www.skf.com/group/our-company/index.html explains it all. Yeah you just lucked out and got a us one next time its from some other country.
One time I wanted some ignition part for a car and went to Oreillys and they had different priced parts so I had the guy pull the cheap one and the expensive one. The cheap one was made in the US and the expensive one was from Mexico go figure?
And whats up with this site not letting you come back and edit sometimes? I have to go completely out and back in just to get a cursor in the edit window.
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Yamae (10-04-23)
10-04-23, 09:00 PM
#15
I just wrote about this in another thread.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l#post11589467
China makes lots of iphones, and those seem to be built pretty well. And we all know of plenty of **** which is made here in the USA. One of my first jobs growing up was assembling fencing - it was an awful, terrible product.
Where something is manufactured doesn't mean **** about it's quality. You need to source from trusted vendors and supply chains. That's where the quality comes from, often, at a higher price. Because the quality costs money. **** parts are **** because they're cheap. For this car, nearly the entire aftermarket is producing cheaper parts at a lower cost. They can't beat OEM specs, so they can only beat them on price. And to get there.. you cut a lot of corners. I'm not surprised the gates pulley was garbage. It was probably garbage because it was cheap.
At the end of the day, you need to follow the OEM supply chain if you want quality. They verify and hold vendors accountable for producing quality parts (usually) up to the specifications that were determined.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l#post11589467
China makes lots of iphones, and those seem to be built pretty well. And we all know of plenty of **** which is made here in the USA. One of my first jobs growing up was assembling fencing - it was an awful, terrible product.
Where something is manufactured doesn't mean **** about it's quality. You need to source from trusted vendors and supply chains. That's where the quality comes from, often, at a higher price. Because the quality costs money. **** parts are **** because they're cheap. For this car, nearly the entire aftermarket is producing cheaper parts at a lower cost. They can't beat OEM specs, so they can only beat them on price. And to get there.. you cut a lot of corners. I'm not surprised the gates pulley was garbage. It was probably garbage because it was cheap.
At the end of the day, you need to follow the OEM supply chain if you want quality. They verify and hold vendors accountable for producing quality parts (usually) up to the specifications that were determined.