Quote:
Originally Posted by glenmore
Yes, check idler pulley. If it has cracks in the plastic, put in a new one. I believe the steel spring type tensioner in this car is much simpler and much more dependable than the old rubber bushing arm type (typical in the w124s). It will probably last the life of the car, well at least 250m, which is all I hope for.
|
While the tensioner system is much simpler and easier to deal with than the old rubber bushing system, the pulley bearing is the failure point. To my knowledge the pulley is not available separately so the entire tensioner must be replaced if the bearing fails. On my 2000 C280 the bearing failed (without ANY warning - no noise, etc. - nothing) at 160,000 miles. Fortunately it isn't hard to change out on the road. On my son's 1999 C43 the bearing started making ominous noises at 100,000 miles.
My advice is to slack off the tensioner and spin the bearing occasionally to see how the bearing feels.