Idler pulley has wear marks at 300 miles - it's coming off!

[pontbrba]

Just checked my idler pulley and noticed these wear marks.
It’s only been on for about 300 miles. I was concerned about adding this, but I had the newer version with the steel insert and the Lamonster roller upgrade. Had the arm torques to good and tight and the roller was square with the belt. The arm clearance had exactly 1/8”. I inspected the idler pulley after every ride and started to notice the roller was no longer riding even on the belt. The roller edges weren’t riding evenly on the belt, but since the bolts were still tight and 100% of the roller was on the belt, I continued to use the idler pulley.
Since I installed this idler pulley, I’ve only had short rides, no more than 100 miles at a stretch. But today after my wife and I went for a ride and some shopping I checked the idler pulley when we got home, and there is about 4 wear marks on the roller. I inspected the belt and the belt is fine. Thankfully no damage there!
Well I now am going to ride without this pulley, as it’s not the best correction to the vibration everyone is talking about. My wife and I avoid highways as much as possible as I’m on them 5 day/week for work. And because of that the vibration will now just be a nuisance when we do have to be on the highway. Since I only notice the vibration between 73-75 mph, I’ll just stay under that threshold. I’ve also been told and read that the vibration does not cause any damage to the drive, it’s just a nuisance. I can live with that and no longer worry if the idler pulley will fail on a longer trip away from home.
Honestly, I hemmed and hawed on wether I should have installed this from the beginning. I should have went with my better judgment.

 

[Mikey]

:congrats: There you go, Ride more, worry less!!! What are you running for belt tension? Possibly backing it down will help some with your issue, but I would say you are doing the right thing!!! Good luck!

 

[PMK]

At a guess, the roller is either lacking a crush sleeve between the bearings, or the plastic has an issue, say a burr or incorrect machining, where any number of situations, even overtightening, could be inducing drag into the roller, and getting the belt to kind of slide vs roll as the roller spins.

Some folks insist these tensioner / damper devices are a must have, while others have no concerns or issues with belt vibrations.

Kind of strange too, on many cars that use a similar design to tension the serpentine belt, those rollers are made of steel. Granted the diameter is larger, but those rollers turn a lot of rpm for a long time without trashing belts and such. Just always intrigued me why Spyders have a plastic roller, except maybe the earlier Smooth Spyder units.

 

[spyder01]

I think Id be giving that belt a good look over before blaming the tensioner.

 

[Wmoater]

Something on that belt is cutting the tensioner. No rubber belt would be causing those grooves. Is there a stone in the belt that is cutting the rubber? Look close maybe its a screw or some piece of metal even. That tensioner is actually telling you something is wrong. It is probably cutting into your front and rear gears too. I’d be looking at that belt for sure like spyder01 said.

 

[BajaRon]

I think Id be giving that belt a good look over before blaming the tensioner.

My thought exactly.... Especially if the roller is spinning free.

 

[Ex-Rocket]

I agree. The belt did not make those marks on the roller. You have rocks or something stuck in your belt that is cause those grooves in the roller. I'd be inspecting that belt very carefully.

 

[pontbrba]

:congrats: There you go, Ride more, worry less!!! What are you running for belt tension? Possibly backing it down will help some with your issue, but I would say you are doing the right thing!!! Good luck!

I had my local can am tech check a couple weeks ago right before I installed this idler pulley and he sis it was around 160. I’m going to order the krikit II and also check it myself. The spyder is new and under warranty plus the extended warranty so if I see that it’s not within spec I’ll have them adjust accordingly. Thanks for the reply

 

[pontbrba]

I think Id be giving that belt a good look over before blaming the tensioner.

I did look at the belt very closely and under right light. The belt is fine.
Like I said in my post, the arm had way too much side to side movement when I inspected the roller and belt. Also the smooth side of my belt is exactly that…smooth.
I understand the tensioner is working for some, but like others it did not work for me. I’m just not putting my peace of mind on my $25k machine with a $100 part. I’ll wait for a better mouse trap to fix this issue or just live with some nuisance vibrations on those rare occasions. Thanks for the reply

 

[pontbrba]

Ok, after reading all the posts believing that there is some metal piece or a rock stuck in the belt and that the belt is possibly damaged I went and re inspected the belt and nothing, nadda. It’s all smooth and running true. The only discrepancy is where the roller made contact with the belt and that’s just a light mark as was shown in another members post and which the reply’s were it’s normal from where the roller is making contact with the belt.
I do respect all the input and that’s why I posted this. I’m not trashing any product or anyone that is using one and has no issues. But I did.
Both sprockets are fine. Nothing in the grooves. The belt is sitting on and in the teeth like they should. The roller itself is spinning with no issues. What I do know is something got caught somehow and made these marks in the roller. What it was is a mystery to me. I also know that the day before install my tech inspected the belt as is required for the 1st service and reported nothing. Did I see him inspect the belt. No. But as of right now, I’ll take his word that he did.
Maybe my issue with the roller is fluke, I don’t know. Can I blame the tensioner, debris on the road, bad luck, all the above? I do know it’s off and staying off.
Thank you everyone. There’s a wealth of knowledge on this site and appreciate all your replies.

 

[capt.jim]

I would check the frame bar directly above where the idler was. There is not much space between the idler and that bar under full suspension squat when hitting bumps, and the fact that you only noticed it after riding double.
Something made those marks.

 

[Race25]

+1 :agree:

 

[Mikey]

I would check the frame bar directly above where the idler was. There is not much space between the idler and that bar under full suspension squat when hitting bumps, and the fact that you only noticed it after riding double.
Something made those marks.

You may have some thing there, but he is coming to the dark side with all of us that don't use the dampener!!!:2thumbs: Ride more, worry Less!!!

 

[pontbrba]

You may have some thing there, but he is coming to the dark side with all of us that don't use the dampener!!!:2thumbs: Ride more, worry Less!!!

Exactly! My wife and I went on a 400 mile round trip to Panama City Beach this weekend, and no issues. Spyder rode great. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference from when I had it on.
I’ll check where the roller would’ve been to see if there is anything that would have caused the roller marks from when we were 2up once I can bend my knee.
The Lamonster roller is quality built, but maybe too big for a driver and passenger? Either way it stays off.

 

[Mikey]

:2thumbs:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If you don't have one, get a Kriket belt tension gauge and see what your current belt tension is. Then later, after you change the rear tire, or do anything else that involves loosening the belt, you can reset the belt tension to what you have now. You may have just hit the sweet spot for tension that doesn't cause vibration, or at least no vibration in the speed and load ranges you ride.

 

[pontbrba]

Thanks. I did order the krikitII. Should be here this weekend

 

[Don60]

I think capt.jim is correct on the thought about frame coming down and hitting the roller! I had this happen to me when I owned a 2010 RT, the suspension would slowly leak off and the frame/ tank came down and actually chewed up my roller! Should be able to see where roller made contact with frame/ tank!

 

[Southpaw58]

This isn't about wear marks, but don't discount the tensioner as I did.

When I purchased my F3-T 3 years ago I had no intention of ever putting a belt tensioner on it. The ride was smooth with no vibrations at any speed. Fast forward to a month and a half ago. I took my Spyder to have new tires installed and when I picked it up the dealer told me they adjusted the belt tension. Well on the ride home I had vibrations that were not there before the new tires and I knew they weren't tire vibs so I assumed that the belt adjustment caused them. I borrowed the tools from another member on this forum and set out to see what my belt tension was running at. Lo and behold, when I removed the side panels I found a BRP factory belt tensioner installed!!! I never knew it was there. Yes, I have had the big side panel off but never the smaller one behind it. At any rate, after reading all the posts on here about tensioners I removed it not planning to reinstall it when I got my belt tension correct. I adjust the tension and alignment which was WAY off and then took it for a spin around the block. All seemed good. I did a longer trip the next week and noticed a buzz in the 60 mph range. On a whim, I ordered LaMonsters upgraded roller to see what difference it would make. It arrived and I installed the new roller on the tensioner and then reinstalled the tensioner. Went for a ride this past Sunday and what a difference it made. The buzz was gone at 60 mph, and it was very smooth at all other speeds. I'm leaving it on, and now that I know it's there, I'll check it every oil change.

My 2 cents.

Bill

 

[Poasttown]

I took a quick look at my (2019 F3L) OEM dampener roller today and it has two groves similar to yours but not near as pronounced. The roller is working fine, I have not done any work with the belt tension and have not, as of yet, closely inspected the belt. I installed the vibration dampener this past April and have approximately 4000 miles since installation. I also have a Lamonster roller in my tool kit when needed.

I also get a pretty severe vibration in the low 70’s. When I installed the OEM dampener the vibration went away. As of today I’m happy with this solution however I do keep a close eye on the dampener. I plan to also keep the belt tension adjustment solution as an option.

Poasttown