When idler pulley bearings fail!!!
 

Hey guys just like to let ya know new parts fail too!! I purchased the tweakit single turbo air pump removal idler pulley in the group buy. I put it on sunday and drove maybe 70 miles seeing the entire rpm range including redline. it failed 1/3 mile from my house conveniently. Im sure its not a defect in the part by anymeans a very well put together product:driving: but i believe i got a bad bearing with it.

The bearing is McMaster Carr # 2349K471 for $18.16

possible ALT----honda #96150-60020-10 $7.xx average ebay 2x $3.95 + $8.75ship (this is a lawnmower bearing)

i checked he specs on it and it is well within spec at any rpm range with the stock main pulley it comes out close to 15,3xx rpm at 8K redline. The specs for the bearing are:

Maximum rpm
19,800

Maximum rpm Range
15,001 to 30,000

So its obvious there is NO DESIGN FLAW just a manufactur defect from the bearing company :banghead:

havent heard back from chadwick yet on this but at least we know where to get the replacment bearing. as per install instructions reference

Well heres the carnage:
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1240065762
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1240065762
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1240065762
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1240065762
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1240065762

Holy shit! I'm glad you caught it in time and didn't overheat!

I'm sure Dan will get back to you shortly. He's currently at DGRR.

ya i figured as much thats cool
thanks
z

I spent a few years in the automotive accessory drive industry. While there are various types of bearing failure and none are immune to manufacturing defects, a great deal of emphasis is placed on proper press-fit tolerances. Depending on the service conditions, Loctite is often used in favour of an interference fit. Excessive interference or some initial damage during assembly will eat a bearing up in no time....as will the type of seal and grease compatibility with the application.

update:

if ya didnt know tweakit has gone back to the original pulley bearing from the regular kit and so far i have had no issues 60miles and still kicken ill up date more later. they definatly stand behind thier work i personally went through 3 bearings till they went to the original pulley kit bearing to the one from the single. so far so good two thumbs up to tweakit!

z

Is it just me, or is your idler pulley for the P/S, A/C belt on backwards?

yes it is or at least i think but i am missing/bearing worn something cause flipped it it rubs the bracket. is just an idler and works right now but i definatly need a new one or replacment bearing cause it is loud! un fortunatly no body even has it listed so right now it works so ill figure somethin out later

z

My pulley has less than 150 miles....and has started leaking oil out of the seal.....

Leaking from the seal? Bearings do not hold 'fluid' and is not a totally sealed unit.

And excess grease inside the bearing from initial build will eventually weap out.

then i hope that's all it is...thanks

Is it the new bearing or the old bearing? If it's the old send the pully back and get it replaced, I still need to do this. Mine made it to the track after I installed it and then died right after I got on track, looks just like the pictures above. It's alittle nerve racking when you have an engine with about 3k on it and you hear a noise look down and the dash lights are on and the temp starts to shoot up.

Couldn't tell you....I won it at DGRR....here's a pic

That looks like the normal amount that spins out when the bearing is first installed, by the color it would suggest that it has been there awhile, wipe it off and run it until the motor gets hot and check it again. If it is still leaking, we will replace the bearing.

Thanks,
Dan

will do...thanks...it might take a couple of weeks to do...still waiting on other parts to come in.

I really like this design. I personally have the pineapple idler and there are a few differences. Both are over engineered but in different ways. The pineapple pulley itself is a beautiful piece using not one but 2 isk (I think) bearings. This is the better of the two by far in this department imo. The Tweakit bracket itself it WAY beefier and puts the pulley in a less obtrusive location for some big single turbo guys, but leads to slightly less water pump pulley contact. I think a new piece with a Pineapple style pulley and a location closer to the Tweakit design would be the best of both worlds. Just my opinion, which nobody asked for lol.

curious, since i have this same idler pulley kit... mcmaster-carr has discontinued carrying the 2349k471, and they do not have an alternative bearing with those dimensions that meet the rpm requirements. Do you know if the honda bearing you cited meets the rpm rating criteria? i wasn't able to dig any info up on it.

There is a reason they discontinued the bearing, it was over rated. :-/

We now use a NSK non-contact double sealed bearing. The part number is 6002 VV and is rated at 24,000 RPM.

thanks brian. pmed..

Yes, we did a voluntary recall a while back and emails were sent to all that purchased from the first few groups, but it is possible we missed a few people. Just send the pulley back to us and we will swap out the bearing and send it back. The address is:

Tweakit Racing
531 Huntley Industrial Blvd.
Smyrna, TN 37167

I am pretty sure I was in on the first GB but I'm not 100% sure and can't find the thread, I didn't get an email but if you could check to see if I'm on the list that would be cool, name is James Hewson. Mine did ship out a little later because I changed my order towards the end of the GB to a single turbo pulley, dunno if that will make a difference.

I haven't installed the bearing yet but will likely be doing it over the winter, I'll see if I can't dig it out of my parts box and see if it's the older bearing.

Glad I randomly decided to see the bearing carnage in this thread! :lol:.

Good to hear you guys stand behind your stuff.

There is def. something to be said about TweakIt as a vendor. Dan and Brian are building my yellow car. There aren't many people I trust to work on my stuff, they are one of a few that I don't give a second thought about when it comes to that.