[najnad]

How much should the belt tensioner on an N55 move when the X3 is at idle? Seems like mine move a few inches, bouncing a bit, doesnt seem like it should.

[PDM5]

Yeah I just picked up a 2011 x3 35i and that was one of the first things I noticed. I don't have any grinding/clicking noises like you'll see if you google it, but it moves way more than I think it should at idle. I could be totally wrong though, but hey, I'm just a shade tree mechanic!

[ina93]

Mines does the same but it's been like that since brand new so I don't think it's a problem.

[PDM5]

Originally Posted by ina93

Mines does the same but it's been like that since brand new so I don't think it's a problem.

Excellent thank you for the feedback! Going through my list of items I need to address and this will go in the "keep my eye on" category. My belt looks good and I'm going to give the area around the oil filter housing a nice clean to see if it is just residue or if I need to replace the gasket. If the gasket is bad, I figure I might as well do the tensioner and belt replacement at the same time.

OP: I hope this helps!

[diablow16]

I just replaced my tensioner pulley. I can confirm that the new one still moves a few mm when the AC is on. I was kinda expecting it to be perfectly rigid but that is not the case. There are a couple videos on youtube showing how much it moves when it is bad. Also, there is usually an annoying sound that goes with it. Don't pull a me and spend a $150 to fix something that wasn't broken.