A Little Play in a Pulley
 

Hello fellow members,

I have a couple questions that I hope someone here can answer. There is a little play in the main pulley at the front of the motor in my '06 550i. It has 2 belts attached. (It's the large pulley in the center of the attached photo.) What is that pulley? How serious is it that it has a little play? Any idea how much it would cost to fix it, if necessary? Car runs great. Thanks for your help.

Psam550

Are you talking about your water pump (top/right)? Depending on if it has been replaced before how much it would cost. Have you tried tightening the 4 nuts on it? How many miles does your car have?

Thanks for your reply, Sean. No, not the water pump. The big pulley just below it. (The water pump was replaced about 20,000 miles ago. I have 177,000 miles on the car.) Thanks.

Psam550.

The a/c compressor at the bottom?

The big pulley just below it. See photo, below. Is it easy to remove the plastic air intake module above it, so I can reach in and tighten the pulley? See the other photo, attached, below. Thanks.

Psam550.

This plastic air intake.

Crankshaft pulley. It has two belt on it

Yes it is fairly easy. Look at the beginning of this video and it will show you how.

Thanks, Sean! I appreciate it.

If tightening the pulley doesn't work (which I don't think it will), your pulley may be going bad. The rubber insulating both metal sections of the pulley is most likely disintegrating, causing the wobbling.