2003 Eurovan Tension Pulley - No grooves okay on aftermarket

jdcramp_173736 · January 30, 2021, 10:02pm

The tension pulley on my drive belt tensioner disintegrated. VW only sells the whole tensioner with pulley. Dayco makes a pulley for it but it does not look like the original. The original had belt grooves and side rails to hold the belt. The Dayco one is smooth with not grooves or sidewalls, but says it is for the vehicle…will this really work?

Mustangman · January 30, 2021, 10:04pm

Yes it will really work.

Tester · January 30, 2021, 10:17pm

No, it won’t work.

Here’s the routing for the serpentine belt.

The tensioner is the upper left pulley.

The pulley must have grooves, or the ribs on the belt will be worn off in a very short time causing the belt to slip.

Tester