Let's Play Another Round of "WTF Is It, Anyway?"

[N40GL]

Okay - try to guess what this is.

Hint #1: We all have one of these on our cars.

Hint #2: It should be made of something other than what its made of.

Hint #3: It should be replaced with the upgraded design, as Ford has done on later model year cars.

(Sorry about the pic quality - taken with a cell phone camera)

[O's Fan Rich]

That is one screwed up rocker arm....

[jdando]

Muffler bearing insert??

[B.C. Bake]

:rolleyes: Thinking?

[RoyLPita]

control arm bushing?

[N40GL]

rocker arm Nope. Keep playing.


Muffler bearing insert Nope. Keep playing.


control arm bushing Nope. Keep playing.

[RoyLPita]

seized idler pulley?

[94_302]

Blinker fluid regulator

[Drock96Marquis]

Siezed idler or tensioner pulley

[BAD MERC]

That is a clogged "O" pipe.

[MarauderMark]

Something from the trans or a bad bushing.

[JMan]

seized idler pulley?


Siezed idler or tensioner pulley

I agree with Drock and Roy!

J

[N40GL]

Blinker fluid regulator Nope. Blinker fluid is unregulated in a Marauder.


That is a clogged "O" pipe Nope.


Something from the trans or a bad bushing Nope, but getting warmer.


seized idler pulley Yes!


Seized idler or tensioner pulley Another winner!

Why do I bring this up? Because, in Ford's wisdom, they made the first production runs of this out of plastic, and in later years (like 2006) they made it out of metal. In our cars, the heat from the supercharger (my Vortech, perhaps your Eaton or other variety) can generate enough heat to melt this into this sort of coagulated mess.

In my case also, it cost me a fan belt and a couple of hours of diagnosis to find what went wrong, and how to replace it. You might want to look your over and see if you are threatened. At least, it bears a quick glance to examine it. It's the idler right before after the A/C and before the Supercharger on a Vortech. I don't know about the rest.

Before, er, 'modification,' this pulley was three inches around.

Thanks for playing this episode of "WTF Is It?" Our contestants will receive a copy of the home version of "WTF Is It?", and a fabulous mink coat from: 'Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills'.

This has been a Mark Goodson/Bill Todman production.

[Zack]

That Idler is a piece from the Vortech Kit, not Ford.
A Dayco part to be exact which can be bought at NAPA.

[JohnE]

GM heavily uses plastic idler pulleys, not Ford.


The pulley itself is not the problem. Your root cause is the sealed bearing lost its grease, then failed. Idlers under heavy loads + high rpms tend to spit out their lubricant. And guess what, with those conditions after a lack of lube, they fail. I bet you had a little squeaking at cold startup a week or so prior to the failure.


The Ford factory idlers are designed with metal lips, which help hold the seals of the bearings. Most aftermarket idlers do not have this feature and fail earlier.


I have one idler in particular which sees a heavy load in my belt routing. I changed the bearing in old metal idler to a dual, instead of single row bearing. This has improved my longevity of that idler substantially.



John