Didn't see this mentioned anywhere on the forum, so I thought it's worth a share. My PS/AC belt tensioner pulley recently started squealing like a pig. Tried using a spray in lube, which helped for a short while, but bottom line is that my tensioner pulley bearing was shot. So I called Mr. Ray Crowe for an OEM Mazda replacement pulley, and come to find out that the pulley bearing is still available from Mazda, and the bearing removal & install job can be done with a bench vice and some suitably sized sockets. At about $23 for the bearing vs. about $70 for the whole pulley assembly, it was a quick no brainer. Quick how-to with some pictures:

1. Remove tensioner pulley from car.
2. Using a suitably sized socket that fits the outer edge of the bearing race, and either a bench vise, a press or a hammer, push the old bearing out from the pulley. Didn't take pictures of that part, but you'll be pressing it from the back side of the pulley to front. The picture below shows the pulley, old bearing and new bearing for comparison.



Pulley, new bearing, old bearing and socket used to press it out with a bench vise.

3. Clean up the pulley, and lube it with a little WD40 to aid bearing installation.
4. Using a suitably sized socket, or the old bearing, press the new bearing in. This time we're pressing in from front side of the pulley to the back, until the bearing bottoms out in the land. Pictures of the process -



I started pressing in new bearing with this socket...

Then I realized DUH, I can use the old bearing and get a more even/accurate press in since it fits better!

Finished pulley with new bearing

5. Install your repaired tensioner pulley, tension PS/AC belt and pulley nut to FSM specs.

 

I think I remember seeing somewhere that you could get the bearing itself from some 3rd party supplier. Just as long as it's a sealed Japanese-made bearing you'll be good.

I've done this myself with a bench vise and it's not hard at all.

Thanks for the writeup, Pete!

Dale

 

Yeah Dunlop make a bearing for it. It was £2.99 when I did one earlier in the year.

Dunlop 6303 bearing measuring 17x47x14mm .

 

You just want to be careful to start the bearing evenly and straight or the pulley can distort. I found out the hard way some years back on similar job on my daughter’s high school car. Obviously it’s doable with a vise, but a cheap HF Press made it easy when I did this exact job last winter.