Will post a pic shortly - but was driving along the highway, heard a slight pop/rattle and lost my alternator and power steering.

Nursed it home, and noticed that the idler wheel between the alternator and A/C compressor (on the tensioner) was shredded. And by that, I mean that all that was left was a couple plastic wisps and the bearing, which was fubar'd.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

 

I take it the pulley was plastic? Solution is to get a metal one... ;-)

 

Update - got a metal pulley, and promptly sheared the bolt head off the tensioner - deep inside the housing (argh!). Kinda too tight in the engine bay to drill it out/tap, though I still might be able to do that. Good thing it's a left-handed bolt.

Now I have a new tensioner on order...

 

I hope you can! I just forked over $110 for that piece because the spring was jacked up and causing the belt to ride forward way to much for my comfort zone.

 

DARN! Sorry to hear that! I had to replace a shot tensioner a couple times - gotta check those regularly

Good luck.

 

Yea... the big problem I have is that this car wasn't stored for the winter, and has seen much western NY road salt. Can't tell how many bolts I've sheared or were rusted solidly on - and even my swaybar end links had melted away. I still have to find a way to get the battery retaining bolt out - I've soaked it in PB Blaster, and I can't get enough of a grip on it to move it. That's the next thing in line after replacing this tensioner - and I'm sure the metal end is solidly stuck in the water pump.

 

Update - new tensioner installed (after breaking the old one at the metal neck into the water pump).

Now it runs like a champ!

 

Glad ya got it squared away -- sucks when things break like that on older cars, but it's par for the course, I guess. ;-)