2010 Explorer XLT 4x4
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- Joined
- April 9, 2024
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- City, State
- Pacific Northwest
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2010 Explorer XLT 4x4
Hello - First post here. Truck is family's 2010 Explorer XLT with about 230,000 miles and the last year of the 4.0 Cologne V6, pretty much a base model 4x4 former fleet vehicle. Has been very reliable since 2015; only problem coming to mind was an RSC light for a while some years ago that hasn't acted up since it was fixed. Since it was bought it also sometimes required the driver to place it nearly into third gear for a second before pushing the shifter back into drive which is probably why it was sold from whaever fleet it came from in the first place.. someone probably put it into gear while it was still moving and messed this up. However, it does go into drive and this has never otherwise caused problems.
More lately it has been making a very annoying rattle from the idler pulley. Unfamiliar with the type of tensioner it has, I broke it during removal and ended up replacing it with a new US made Dayco one. I also replaced the idler pulley with a new US made Dayco one. Turns out I probably didn't need to replace anything.
On the end of the idler pulley bolt goes some sort of a washer that I believe is meant to tighten the idler pulley into an assembly with the bolt? Is this thing required? I thought I tightened it and have had it off twice now trying to get it right. The noise is definately issolated to that spot because I've had the rattle go away only to come back. A neigbor of mine who is an old mechanic that ran a shop in the 60s when I described it to him said to just remove this washer, but I was concerned about contact with the plastic bearing cover on the pulley. I thought about putting another washer on that doesn't tighten onto the bolt.
Any suggestions? Perhaps this thing can just be tightened better with needle nose pliars? What an annoying thing.. wasted about $100 on parts trying to chase this rattle down. Even thought it could have been the power steering pump/pulley but thankfully is just the idler pulley.
Pulled and bought a shiny new looking Bosch alternator for this motor from a scrap yard and looked at the idler pulley there and this washer seemed to be tighter. Not keen on Bosch parts but for what I paid for this probably $300+ part I wasn't going to say no. Alternator is original but good to have another on hand. Anything else I should pull from this truck in the yard while it's there? Up to now has been pretty rare to see a truck this new in a scrap yard, though I'm not exactly looking that often.
More lately it has been making a very annoying rattle from the idler pulley. Unfamiliar with the type of tensioner it has, I broke it during removal and ended up replacing it with a new US made Dayco one. I also replaced the idler pulley with a new US made Dayco one. Turns out I probably didn't need to replace anything.
On the end of the idler pulley bolt goes some sort of a washer that I believe is meant to tighten the idler pulley into an assembly with the bolt? Is this thing required? I thought I tightened it and have had it off twice now trying to get it right. The noise is definately issolated to that spot because I've had the rattle go away only to come back. A neigbor of mine who is an old mechanic that ran a shop in the 60s when I described it to him said to just remove this washer, but I was concerned about contact with the plastic bearing cover on the pulley. I thought about putting another washer on that doesn't tighten onto the bolt.
Any suggestions? Perhaps this thing can just be tightened better with needle nose pliars? What an annoying thing.. wasted about $100 on parts trying to chase this rattle down. Even thought it could have been the power steering pump/pulley but thankfully is just the idler pulley.
Pulled and bought a shiny new looking Bosch alternator for this motor from a scrap yard and looked at the idler pulley there and this washer seemed to be tighter. Not keen on Bosch parts but for what I paid for this probably $300+ part I wasn't going to say no. Alternator is original but good to have another on hand. Anything else I should pull from this truck in the yard while it's there? Up to now has been pretty rare to see a truck this new in a scrap yard, though I'm not exactly looking that often.
