today i finally got around to puttng on a replacment power steering belt / water pump belt. when i tried to put on the belt, and loosen the idler pulley, the head of the bolt broke off. what is the part called that adjusts the ideler pulley? i need to know so i can find a replacment. Does any body know how to remove the idler pulley assembly?

 

Mine did that right after I bought it. I found a grade 8 bolt of the right length and diameter, and a couple of nuts, and "fabbricated" my own replacement...

 

Fairly simple process, get a FSM and it should take about 30 minutes.

 

Might as well, replace Idler Pulley bearing, too!!!

The dealership wants over $60 for a new AC Idler Pulley. This is what I did.

The bearing is made by NSK (Japan). The part # is 6203DU2.
I called NSK here in Indianapolis at 317-247-4724. Their toll-free # (in Ann Arbor, MI) is 800-675-9930. They gave me a list of local parts outlets. I picked up one for less than $10.

You won't need to do this for a Maxima, but if you are replacing Idler Pulley on your wife's car -- you may need to press out old bearing.

Then I drove to the nearest machine shop, I showed a couple of guys there the old pulley. In a matter of minutes and $5 later, they pressed out the old bearing and pressed in the new one.

So, I saved $45 bucks per Idler Pulley.