Hi,
I had posted earlier this week regarding a scraping/rubbing noise coming from the belts/front engine area. I used a stethoscope and probed the waterpump, compressor, power steering pump etc.. But couldn't tell really for sure. This morning I tried to locate the noise once again and noticed that the fan clutch pulley was not spinning/rotating in straight circles like it is supposed to. It was kind of weaving. The other pulleys were rotating in straight circles. The scraping noise appears to be coming from this pulley because it is forcing the belt to scrape due to the weave in the rotation. Has anyone experienced this before. Is it easy to replace the fan clutch pulley ???? Please advise.
Thanks
regards,
smk_texas

I am in the process of replacing the fan clutch bearing bracket (on 92 190e 2.6)since it has started to wobble. I noticed yesterday that the belt tensioner has a downward pointing arrow engraved on it. The little pointer device is pointing above it . Is this normal ??? I noticed there was noticeable slack in the belt. Thanks in advance for any ideas and help.
smk_texas
92 190e 2.6 99K

Replacing the fan pulley bracket isn't particularly difficult. There's a tube that runs in front of the bracket and to the thermostat housing. You probably should have a new o-ring ready if you have to remove the tube to access the bolts of the bracket.

The tensioner has a gauge to help you set belt tension. Relative to the tensioner body, a plastic pointer goes from right to left (as you face the engine from the front of the car) as tension is applied. Proper tension is set when the pointer is at the thickest or tallest point of the triangle on the tensioner body. The indicator style varies from year to year so yours might not be a triangle as I described.

If the belt feels loose when the tensioner indicates a proper setting, the tensioner should be replaced (makes me wonder about the effectiveness of the indicator).

There are several threads with comprehensive instructions on this procedure. Do a serach for terms like 300E, M103 and serpentine with belt. You can narrow the seach to those with input from a user who goes by jeffsr.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

Howdy Sixto,
Thanks very much for taking the time to respond. Like you suggested I did a search on this site and found some very useful tips on how to replace the fan clutch & belt. I am waiting on parts to arrive. I will share my experience after I am thru with this project.
Regards
smk_texas
92 190e 2.6 99 K
86 BMW 325e 140K