My idler pulley (70mm, small one close to the tensioner) was making a lot of whining noise. Bought a new one from British-Atlantic. Came to $31.45 with shipping.
I did the exchange today. Wow, that was easy.
1. Removed the radiator plastic cover on top (4 screws).
2. Placed a flat piece of card board inbetween the radiator and the fan, so as to not damage the radiator if accidently slip.
3. With a 15mm socket on the tensioner pulley, removed the tension on the belt to remove the belt.
4. With a 1/2" socket loosened the bolt of the idler pulley. With a longer socket you work inbetween the fan blades.
5. Replaced the idler pulley with the new one, put the belt back on and replaced the plastic cover again.
Easy working; took less than 1 hour to do.
Result - MUCH quieter engine noise. Now I can hear the V8 rumble again
Probably good to replace the serpent belt at the same time, but mine looked in good shape.
The old idler pulley was really in bad shape. It had developed multiple flat spots and the bearings sounded dry and "gone".
The new idler pulley looked much more solid in comparison.
Certainly worth the little effort and saved some money as the LR dealer quoted me $140 to do the same job.
On the attached photo, the old pulley is on the left, new one on the right.
