1997 Geo Tracker - Tensioner Pulley

Shop Tensioner Pulleys For A Complete Repair

A tensioner pulley guides the serpentine belt around the tensioner and allows the belt to spin while the tensioner maintains pressure to prevent your belt from slipping. Tensioner pulleys usually have a built-in bearing that keeps them spinning freely and may have a grooved or smooth pulley surface, depending on where they are intended to contact the belt. Based on the design of your vehicle's belt drive system, it may have a single tensioner and one pulley, or it may have two tensioner pulleys attached to the same tensioner assembly. With time, the bearing inside the tensioner pulley can suffer wear or damage that keeps it from spinning freely, or the pulley itself may be damaged, which can lead to accelerated belt wear or poor contact. A worn or failing tensioner pulley can cause power loss and damage to your belt-driven systems, including your alternator, A/C compressor, power steering, or water pump - which can cause these systems to not perform at their best. You may have a failing tensioner pulley if you hear any squeaking or squealing under the hood as the pulley bearings wear out, which can cause noise and heat. If you've noticed poor charging or cooling system performance, a lack of power steering, belt squealing or slapping noises, or if your serpentine belt is especially loose or showing signs of wear, you should inspect the belt tensioner and tensioner pulley to determine if these parts may be the source of the problem. At O'Reilly Auto Parts, we carry tensioner pulleys, belt tensioners, idler pulleys, serpentine belts, and more for your vehicle's next repair or routine maintenance task.