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Which pulley to purchase?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by techguy802, Sep 27, 2019.

  1. techguy802

    techguy802 Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    If you look in my post history, I bought a cheap Prius a while back with a blown engine and swapped in a good used one. I had bought that one to resell and have since sold it. I came across a 2006 that needed a transmission and decided I'd buy this one for a daily driver. Got that replaced a couple weeks ago and running good!

    I noticed when working on it that the engine coolant was a little low. Further inspection revealed that the water pump had some pink coolant crust around it. I ordered a new water pump and belt. What I'm having trouble finding a good answer on is which idler (tensioner?) pulley to order for a replacement while I'm in there. I know there is only one to replace, but rockauto and amazon seem to list two different types (idler and tensioner) along with slightly different sizes. I thought the idler pulley *was* the tensioner pulley by adjusting the bolt on top? Any insight on this? Thanks!

    IMG_1575.jpg
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    IV
    My guess is these are all aftermarket parts coming from different suppliers, and they call it different things, and you should buy the one you like best.

    You could always look for a Toyota dealer IRL or online and buy a 16630-21020 ... how often in a car's life are you going to replace the idler pulley?
     
    donbright and techguy802 like this.
  3. techguy802

    techguy802 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2018
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    Location:
    VT
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    What threw me was even though they’re aftermarket parts with different names, they also had different sizes listed. That part number is exactly what I was looking for, thank you!