Gates 38274 Belt Tensioner Assembly Review

I used to sell Gates products in an auto parts store, so the small number of defective items and the overall high quality of the product made the purchase easy.

Car squeaks like crazy after tensioner is installed! I also replaced the pulleys but they are good and quiet. I am ordering another tensioner from another manufacturer in the hope of getting a nice quiet car again!

As you can see the idler pulley was shown as a gate but it was assembled in Mexico as the casting is printed. So maybe the buyer had a short lifespan from Ford {OEM} assembled in Canada. There is also a problem with the bolt pattern casting and the pulley tends to ride against the engine case due to assembly. you risk!

The belt tensioner on my 2006 F-150 definitely needed replacing as the whining noise from bad bearings was becoming unbearable. In general, the installation is simple, only 3 screws. Although I replaced the belt and a few other components at the same time, this was definitely the culprit. Now it's just wind and road noise while driving on the highway!

Looked good but after installing this tensioner I noticed that the belt was not centered on the pulley as it should be. The edge of the belt has moved almost past the edge of the pulley. I rode it for a week with no problems. Then the belt began to make an unbearably loud squeak. I removed the tensioner and reinstalled my old tensioner with the pulley from the new tensioner. Now the belt runs in the middle and is completely silent again.

Worn about 35 days ago and already broken. I went out to start my truck this morning and heard the thump as I opened my hood and the tensioner clicked up and down with a loud click. So luckily I kept the old one and put it back on until I found a quality unit, unfortunately Revain's 30 day warranty expired 5 days ago.

I used this tensioner to replace the original tensioner on my 2007 Ford F-150 3V 5.4L. Feels and looks the same as the OEM unit I removed. Very easy installation. I was hesitant to take on this job myself, but after completing it, I found that it was very easy. I replaced the tensioner, two smooth pulleys, one ribbed pulley and the belt (all Gates). Long term update: After using this tensioner for the past three years and about 30,000 miles, the bearing started to chirp. I bought a bearing and…

Exact replacement for my 2007 Ford Expedition EL Limited (5.4L 3V v8). While only the bearing failed, I decided to replace the entire assembly. A few notes: 1. The end of the idler pulley may not have lateral play and may not rotate properly, but the bearing may still be badly cracked. The pulley should not rotate indefinitely when you turn it by hand. It must have low rolling resistance to function properly (but must be smooth).3. You can easily replace the bearing in the pulley, but it's…