iammulva

I just replaced serpentine belt and checked the play/movement in the pulleys. Here is what I observed:

Generator pulley - can pull/push on pulley in its mounting axis and get visible play/movement and noise (like a canning jar lid pops when the seal is broken).

Water Pump pulley - Can pull/wiggle pulley and get slight play/movement

Power Steering pulley - Can quickly change direction of rotation and get rattling sound. No play/movement.

A/C Compressor pulley - Can pull/wiggle pulley and get slight play

The belt looked ok, but I don't know how many miles are on it. I've put 4k on the car having bought it at 42k.

Is any play ok? The generator seems to me to be the worst, but I don't know if any play is ok. Am I going to have to replace pulleys or the components themselves?

7500rpm

I changed my belt couple of years ago (10k miles since) and did the same inspections. Here were my observations :
1/ Alternator - same as yours. There's a clutch in it so what you felt is ok. A young tech at Porsche told me mine was shot and advised replacement at $2,xxx. Thank god I had more mechanical knowledge than him;
2/ Water pump - sounds like you have some wear. Very slight movement is ok, but wiggle? I changed mine out as precaution because they are prone to failures. My buddy is using my old unit now because his started leaking 2 weeks ago. Working absolutely fine;
3/ Power steering pulley - I don't recall a rattling sound but if you are experiencing no play/movement, it's probably fine;
4/ A/C compressor has a clutch in it, too, so they feel light to rotate, but you again termed yours having a wiggle. Only very slight should be noticed.
Trust you checked all the tensioner/roller bearings when you had the belt out! No play/wiggle/noise here, just smooth rolling. That said, you should be fine except small concern for water pump. It's a fairly cheap part to pay for peace of mine.

iammulva

Not sure how else to describe it. Slight play when pushing on one side and pulling on opposite (180 deg away) side. In any case, I have a DIY preventative replacement coming up as soon as I get the time.



Will keep an eye on it. No play at all


Ditto re: water pump. Very slight play when push/pull on opposite sides


Did and all seemed good.

Thanks a bunch for easing my mind. I can read and DIY when it's simple replacement , but not enough experience diagnosing.

Much appreciated.