So recently my Evo has developed a noise coming from the timing belt area and I suspect it is a bad tensioner pulley. My question is should I just replace the tensioner and pulley or would it be wise to get a whole timing belt and balance belt kit with a water pump and replace everything? The car is a 2006 Evo IX with just 42k miles and everything is still original. Thanks.

 

I suggest you sell the car to someone who would drive it. 42K for a car that is 9 years old just wow. You must be one of those that bought it to resale down the line. To me what a waste.

I guess from lack of use your bearings went bad. Might as well replace the whole shooting match while you are down there. You are close to the 60k anyhow and all the stuff is deteriorating from age alone.

 

I've got about 54k miles on mine and started hearing a noise from that area as well along with the pulley squealing. I decided to purchase everything since its close to 60k anyway.

 

This fall I did a timing belt on my spouse's WRX - replaced all the pulleys. This car is an '04 with less than 60K. I few weeks later I noticed the oid pulleys were still on my workbench so time to clean up. I picked up one and tried to give it a spin and it was locked. It wasn't that way when it came off of the car.

So, sitting around is not good for pulleys.

 

since everything needs to come off to replace the pulley, just do it all now. Or if you really like to work on your car--do just the pulley and then you can do it all again in 18k miles.

 

Yea now that I think about it, probably better to replace everything at once. What about the water pump? Is that worth replacing aswell? Also does anyone know any good alternatives to the $200+ OEM water pump? I know Gates makes one but apparently it doesn't fit Evo IX's. Thanks.