BMW says that you should replace your pulley and tensioner every 60k miles. Why should you do this? Well the picture above is what happens to the plastic pulley when you don't replace it. In the front is the old pulley. Right behind it is the new replacement pulley. See the cracks at the edge of the old one? Shouldn't be like that.
See the difference in thickness between the back of the old and the start of the new? That's bad. Very bad. And no, that is not because I didn't line them up properly.
See my fingers pressing on the old pulley? Shouldn't be able to do that. Nope. Not at all.
So what would have happened if that wasn't changed? Ohh....pulley would have probably shattered and the belt thrown. The battery light would have come on 'cause the alternator would no longer be spinning and the engine would soon overheat because the water pump would no longer be spinning.
Nothing much I suppose.
185k miles. I don't know if that was the original pulley but a word to anyone with an older BMW. Have you had your tensioners changed? Your engine making squeaking noises that change with rpm's. You'll wanna look into that.
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