GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

So, uh, what the heck is that thing? I bought a new belt and a new pulley, the belt because it was due, the pulley because the squeak it was making sounded like a bearing going bad and my stethoscope suggested the noise might be coming from the tensioner. I replaced the belt, but when I tried to replace the pulley in the middle of that process, I found that the nut on it is not a standard hex-head nut. I have heard of people removing the entire tensioner assembly, removing the nut with a pipe wrench, and replacing it, but if there's a tool I can get for a reasonable price that will allow me to remove it without removing the entire assembly, I would love to hear about it.

Or I may just return the pulley and forget about it since the squeak seems to have gone away with the new belt, but I'd still like to know for if and when it does go.

the squeak was most likely from the worn out belt. no need to throw unnecessary parts on the car if you don't need to.

bluneon wrote:the squeak was most likely from the worn out belt. no need to throw unnecessary parts on the car if you don't need to.

Most definitely my plan. Like I say, I'm just curious what that is in case I ever do have to replace it. I've never seen anything like it.