Belt tensioner
 

My neighbor has a Suburban and yesterday the pulley on his belt tensioner siezed and blew up. The auto parts store told him that the tensioner and pulley are preventative maintenance items that need to be changed.

Is the belt tensioner on a ranger the same way? Mine has 177K on it and I don't know if it has ever been changed. I am going to be driving a lot more next year and don't want it to blow up like my neighbor. Has anyone had a belt tensioner pulley sieze?

hmm the bearing on my idler pulley is going out.. and its commmon and its obly like 16.xx for a new one at VATOZONE. but not a bad idea to change. I have seen pulleys break and do serious damage.

You will hear the bearings in it long before it goes. I wouldn't worry about unless you hear noise from up front of the motor that aren't normal.

Remove the belt and try to wobble the pulley .Then turn it back and forth to feel for any roughness in the bearing.
They do not always make noise before they go.

Thanks for the suggestions.