Car's idler pulley bearings -- Stupid wife, ignorant husband, have argument about theirs

Dear Dr. Jim

My wife and I have been arguing about this, I hope you can tell us who is correct.

Our car was making screeching noises from under the hood. The repair shop diagnosed the problem as being with the idler pulley bearings.

The car was repaired to the tune of $568.40 so obviously those people did find the problem and correct it. Whether it was the idler pulley bearings or not, we have know way of knowing. They did fix our car, that is for sure.

Our argument is about the idler pulley bearings. Miss Know-it-all Mechanic-not says Simple, those are for when the car is resting, being idle. If it doesn't have good bearings then the car has no idea of where it is or where it is supposed to go after the rest is over. Period.

That is plain stupid, cars never know where they are, they just go where people tell them. I understand automobile mechanisms pretty well and know the idler pulley is to keep the engine running or pulled along when it is idling. Bearings keep the car straight as how to run when it gets busy again.

Thank you, Dr. Jim, for settling our argument.

Dave, the car hunk and affectionado of Burbank

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Dear Dave

If it helps, you are no closer than your wife to a correct definition. So please don't brag about this to your friends or your reputation as a car affectionado will tumble a little.

The idler pulley has nothing to do with the car at idle, it keeps a belt tight enough to not slip while turning the other pulleys. Those are located at the front of your engine and go around and around when the car engine is running.

If the idler pulley bearings get hot, they may freeze up making the pulley stop rolling with the belt. In turn, the belt wears quickly while rubbing against the stopped idler pulley and soon will begin fraying and break in a short time.

The stopped pulley can also stop the belt, causing wearing and breaking to occur very rapidly. The belt driven water pump pulley stoppage causes overheating that will ruin your engine. Head for your repair facility before it stops ASAP to prevent engine and other damage!

Why is it called an idler pulley? Because it doesn't have a load to pull. It just goes round and round, happily and idly along, not pulling a load and doing no work at all.

One word of self-protection here: ASK FOR THE REPLACED PARTS. Garages are required by law to give you--you must request this in the repair request--whatever they replace (it is yours) instead of throwing old parts away. This way you can see for yourself what went wrong.

After you look, be sure to turn them back in for a refund if you were charged a 'core charge.' This means the part can be rebuilt, often you were getting a rebuilt item in the repair. Rebuilding is especially common for water pumps and alternators.

I hope this has helped. Remember now you two, no name calling (I'll do that). Modern automobiles are complicated machinery and even the mechanics have to go back to school when new innovations are introduced.

Dr. Jim



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How do people disappear? Fellow with wife, girlfriend, and reputation problems wants to know

Dear Dr. Jim

Well, I almost hate to write this for fear someone I know will read it.

But here goes. I want to disappear. Just plain drop out of site. Take out the trash Jack, and don't come back. No more, no more.

My wife has made life terrible for me, she even put a malicious report in our local paper! I swear I didn't have anything to do with that girl!

Yes, we work together and she would like to make homemaker trouble for me also. The crowning blow was after the girl bit me. What I didn't know was, after I got all the blood wiped off my ear and another friend put a band aid on it, that there was some lipstick still left.

Wouldn't you know, my wife found the lipstick smudge right in the middle of my ear. It wasn't close to the sore so it didn't get wiped off with the blood.

Please, Dr. Jim, could you help me hide out forever?

Seeking Asylum in Albany

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Dear Seeking

Your letter reminds me of the joke about "the pickle slicer who got fired too." It was funny, but very sad.

This is very hard on you, I can tell. Generally a loving wife will be terribly concerned when her husband comes home with injuries.

Your troubles are not insurmountable, but I cannot help you disappear. Dr. Kevorkian got eight years big time for helping people do that. (You might try this Google link for insight along with about 9,970,000 others asking your question.).

Are you trying to go to Albany to hide and disappear? Or do you live there and want to go somewhere else?

It does sound pretty suspicious to have the lipstick in the middle of your ear. A person can hardly do their biting in the middle of the ear. Even I would suspect how it got there.

You picked a poor choice for your fling, one who wanted to play for keeps instead of settling for second fiddle.

You should have looked in a mirror for several reasons, mostly to check the bandaging efforts of your other friend. The lipstick would have been evident then.

If you love your wife, then ask for forgiveness and please get your home life straightened out.

Then if wife hangs around still, learn to avoid as many of the above problem areas we have picked out as you can.

Or how about a motorcycle to fill your spare time? They don't leave lipstick or get you into so much trouble at home.

And just in principle, wipe your ears whenever you stop for an after hour pick-me-up.

I hope this helps,

Dr. Jim



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"Please ask your question or leave your comment now!"
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Dear Abby -- why did this dumb guy come to you?

Dear Dr. Jim

Today it's 'From Dr. Jim.' (link to Dr. Abby's post in question)

You see, Dear Abby has outdone you. You'd better go check her out.

Dr. Jim, aggitated in Texas

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OK, Jim, calm down.

Now I have no idea in the world why he asked her instead of me.

You could have done ten times better and we all know it.

But it was an April Fools Day letter so whay the hay? It was all for nothing except a laugh.

I may answer him some day in a serious manner, you never know.

I hope my dear readers didn't mind this post,

Dr. Jim




So, keep on keep'n on, and till then,
"Please ask your question or leave your comment now!"
(Just ask me and you will remain anonymous)

Submit question or comment in privacy now

To read the rules and/or submit a question, click here.

(CLICK HERE NOW, I've read the rules.)

To leave a comment or non-private question, simply leave a comment below as usual.