serpentine belt tensioner pulley replacement

[sundanceuk]

Hi, Hope somebody here can help me out, The bearing on the tensioner pulley has started making a noise, I need to replace the pulley, but I cannot get the bolt thru the cenrte of the pulley to move as it is so tight.
Now Is it a Left Hand Thread or Right Hand Thread, Ive tried both ways but it is so damn tight I fear that I will snap the bolt off.
I have both a new complete pulley (with pre installed bearing) and also just a new bearing.
Oh the pulley on the engine is steel not plastic.
Its a 93 van with 129thousand on the odo.

The van and Myself are in the UK

[1Gary]

Yeah.It is a stupid design.A self tapper into aluminum that seizes.Try to hit it with pen oil and let it set and then hit it again.On my 94 it was the standard lefty tightie -rightly looseie.

[sundanceuk]

Thanks 1gary, I will give it a drink of pen oil and then leave it for a day or so before trying again.

[1Gary]

Awhile back when I needed a drivers side window I was at a junk yard and in the office they have shelfs of parts they pulled off that are prime sellers.They had a number of different makes of cars idler pulley brackets there.You might want to source one in a junk yard just in case.The shaft the idler pulley rides on does wear some.

[sundanceuk]

Thanks again, Junk yards with any American vehicle are few and far between over here in the UK, So finding something for an Astro would be like the holy graill
there are some supliers of parts for US vehicle over here so If it breaks then I will get a complete new assemble, But as a mechanical engineer I would rather repair than replace if you get what I mean.

[1Gary]

With mine it was just dumb luck times two.The pulley fell out in my driveway and not damaging anything.Yeah-I replaced the belt too while I had it part.It had dry rot cracks.Cheap insurance against problems.