Replacing idler pulley

[b120ute]

mines rattling away also

how long does it typically take to go from being a bit noisy to throwing off a belt?

planning a 3hr drive soon

[bates91]

mine made it about 700km on the highway from when i first heard what sounded like the bearing shitting itself to complete belt destruction.
get it done before you go anywhere mate

[chuckie]

are there non genuine cheap pulleys you can get from repco or something? Or is this highly unreccomended?

[HoFF]

From memory the pulley was only about $80 from Subaru

[chuckie]

Thanks. I wish it was the money that was the issue..not the time factor haha.

[b120ute]

ok ill get it sorted before i hit the road
is there a better bearing to use for the idler/tensioner that will last longer?
or should i just go for genuine subaru and be happy if i get another 4-5 years out of them?