The fan belt tensioner/idler pulley on my 56 Chrysler Hemi appears to be a sealed bearing unit. Before I fix what ain't broken can anyone provide some insight on replacing the sealed bearing or even if it's doable. shop manual says nothing on the subject...........Bob

It should be a simple matter to press out the bearing and put in a new one.

Look in the yellow pages for bearing dealers. They can get any kind of bearing. They are very much standardized. Chrysler no doubt, picked a standard off the shelf $5 bearing in 1956.

The bearing part # will be stamped or etched into the bearing itself. Look around the edge of the bearing race.

Give the new bearing a shot of grease. They seem to come with only a few drops of oil inside.

Thanks for the come back, Rusty. What I need to know is if the bearing is removable. It looks like it's crimped in place and the pulley/bearing was replaced as a unit. The assembly I have is pretty cruddy and it's hard to tell how it's assembled. The bearing seems OK now but if it's replaceable I'll just dunk it in the tank and bead blast it. That will ruin the bearing but that will be OK. If the bearing is not replaceable I'll have to be careful not to ruin it.
So what I need to know is "Is the bearing replaceable or is it part of the pulley assembly?"

You are closer to it than I am. Have a look. I have not memorised every part ever put on a car.

I'm saying it should be possible to take it out. But if it's not worn out why bother?

Clean it, paint it, oil the bearing and put it back on.

I'd rather replace it now when it's already apart as part of the restoration process. But it turns out the bearing is heavily roll crimped into the pully and is not designed to be replaceable. So I'll have to take the long way around cleaning it up so as not to contaminate the bearing.....Bob

It might be possible to carefully grind away the crimped part, press out the bearing and put in a new one with Loctite bearing lock. But it's hard to say without seeing it.

I suppose you have tried ordering one from your local Chrysler dealer? It's surprising what old parts are available.

I could chuck it up in my lathe and cut the rolled crimp off and see what happens but the bearing looks like it is actually part of the pulley and not an off the shelf bearing. Since it seems OK and not broke I'll just not fix it. I already cleaned it up and got it primed ready for paint...........Bob

Hi-just finished installing new belts on my 55 Desoto which has the same idler pulley.The idler pulley was serviced as an assembly and I'm not sure it would be possible to disassembly. You might try to force some oil down the threaded shaft while you have it apart.
It might be possible to pull the bearing and threaded shaft out of the pulley body but finding a replacement to press in could be might tough. I carry an extra used pulley just in case I need on the road.
Marty Lum

Yeah it's most definately an "assembly" that's not not made to be repaired. Mine seems OK. I think I'll just use your system. If I find a bad one I'd like to try playing with it to see what I could do to rebearing it.........Bob