So with the tune up all finished and driving the duck around for a bit I found the noise from the idler pulley to be still there, and an inspection of the pulley led to a failed bearing. After 226,000 miles it had definitely seen better days and was in need of replacement, before it locked up and spit the belt off the engine.
After again removing the serpentine belt, a 13 millimeter socket and ratchet remove the old idler pulley. This being the original pulley, there was a large washer that was used as a dust cover, to keep dirt away from the bearing and therefore keeping the pulley in service longer. On the replacement, the bearing is sealed, and the dust cover is not necessary, especially considering that the cover did not fit the pulley very well. The replacement pulley came with an insert to keep the pulley at the proper distance from the mounting point on the engine block, and some Loctite blue keeps the factory bolt in place when reinstalling once cured, usually 24 hours for a complete curing.
A pointer on using Loctite: Loctite comes in three versions, which are color coded according to their use. Loctite green is the lightest duty, and generally has no use that I am aware of in an automotive setting. Loctite red is the strongest duty, and is meant for use on something that you never want to come apart. Heat is required to break loose anything you decide to use the red strength for, and the red version is very unforgiving, so whatever you use this strength thread locker on plan to have it stay together forever.
Loctite blue is a good, all around keep it in place thread locker. You will need to use a proper wrench or other tool to break loose any bolts you apply this to, but it is forgiving in that you can actually take something apart without having to heat the bolt up to do so. I use this on anything I really don't want to come apart at an inopportune moment, like the aforementioned idler pulley, the A/C compressor I removed during the tune up, and in the future, the differential cover bolts.
I have not repaired the thermostat/upper radiator hose issue yet, but I did take notice that the coolant overflow tank has a lot of what looks like lime in it. It's actually cooling system sludge, along with rust and other junk that almost proved impossible to remove. Why clean the overflow bottle? Because you don't want that stuff to somehow make its way back into the rest of the cooling system, where it can clog up the radiator or whatever small passages exist.
I ended up using a combination of salt, water and ice cubes to clean the sludge off. What you need to do is remove the overflow tank (engine must be cold) and empty anything that might be in said tank in a responsible manner. You then add salt (about three tablespoons), some cold water (your goal is to make a slurry) and ice cubes. Shake this mixture in the tank until you have removed as much of the crud as you can, then rinse well with hot water and reinstall. The salt is abrasive enough to remove the deposits and the ice helps it move around in the tank, keeping your salty slurry on the target area.
Not sure at this moment what project I am going to tackle next, but I am thinking it will be the parking brake cable.
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