Thread: What happened to your D3/D4 today?

Originally Posted by PerthDisco

No bad day compares to this bloke’s bad day

On the 2.7 this is my “special plug” that fits the lower intake pipe perfectly (and near impossible to miss seeing and leave in place when refitting the upper intake pipe).



150mm length of bright coloured pool noodle from Bunnings (with the inner hole also plugged).

I noted last week a squeak from the front end that I thought possibly sounded like a serpentine belt idler or tensioner.
After a quick 2 day Perth -> Augusta -> Albany -> Perth by the time I got to Albany it was alternating between sounding like a tin can full of nuts or screaming like a banshee.
It locked up in Albany with a superb burning rubber smell, but I managed to free it up and it got me home.

I don't know if its the tensioner or idler but I'll probably just replace both. Anyone know a likely source North of the river in Perth?

Originally Posted by BradC

I noted last week a squeak from the front end that I thought possibly sounded like a serpentine belt idler or tensioner.
After a quick 2 day Perth -> Augusta -> Albany -> Perth by the time I got to Albany it was alternating between sounding like a tin can full of nuts or screaming like a banshee.
It locked up in Albany with a superb burning rubber smell, but I managed to free it up and it got me home.

I don't know if its the tensioner or idler but I'll probably just replace both. Anyone know a likely source North of the river in Perth?

I was interested that Dazza separately buys only NTN idlers regardless of what’s supplied in the Dayco kit.

Originally Posted by PerthDisco

I was interested that Dazza separately buys only NTN idlers regardless of what’s supplied in the Dayco kit.

Surely he means the serp belt tensioner and idler and not the timing belt tensioners which are NTN .

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Surely he means the serp belt tensioner and idler and not the timing belt tensioners which are NTN .

Yup. This :

Originally Posted by BradC

It locked up in Albany with a superb burning rubber smell...

Would have been pretty catastrophic if it had been the timing belt.

Anyway, I might just grab some bearings and rebuild whichever one is screaming tomorrow. Given the noise is really on the drivers side, I suspect the tensioner but we'll see.

Originally Posted by BradC

Yup. This :


Would have been pretty catastrophic if it had been the timing belt.

Anyway, I might just grab some bearings and rebuild whichever one is screaming tomorrow. Given the noise is really on the drivers side, I suspect the tensioner but we'll see.

Yep clearly more critical than serp but nevertheless probably common sizes on the idlers.

I now have a certain level of anxiety after only using a Dayco kit for the timing belt change last time.

This was what Dazza said with respect to timing belt changes:

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

As everyone else has said... it’s a yes to replace the idlers.

*I dont buy the dayco kits or genuine kits (same thing) because the idlers supplied are not NTN Japan branded bearings as they once were.
*I buy the NTN Japan idlers separate, the SKF idlers are also NTN Japan bearings, the dayco are not NTN, you can all guess where they are made.
*also a yes to replacing the tensioner bolt with a new genuine bolt.
*Its not hard to over tighten the tensioner bolt unless you use a small 3/8 drive digital torque wrench.
*While I may not expect a home mechanic to have a digital torque wrench, I would certainly expect a professional to have at least one.

Timing Belt Replacement

When i did mine 3 1/2 years ago they were NTN in the Advanced Factors Dayco kit.