Just had my first breakdown in my disco! WOOOOO! My wife and I went to a local state rec area last night for a drive (I really just wanted to break in my new set of cooper discoverer at3!). We had just left the lake and the battery light popped up...I thought it was weird so I quickly pulled over on the gravel road and opened the hood. I immediately noticed the serpentine belt wasn't moving and was lose. Fear started to build up inside me and I raced back to the drivers seat and yanked the key out to turn the engine off in hopes of keeping it from overheating. I think I got to it in time...no signs of overheating. I called my buddy and asked him to bring his jeep and tow rope while I waited for the engine to cool off enough to investigate what happened. After some snooping it looked like the belt just slipped off the idler pulley but then I found out the bearing had exploded. It was weird, I didn't have any noise coming from there before...just sudden failure. But she was done for the day and no hope of limping it back home. By the time my friend found us it was already dark but we decided it would be best to tow that night because there would be less traffic when we get back into Lincoln. So we dragged my disco back into town rather successfully. We took gravel roads the whole way back but they were slippery as it rained all day. The jeep got us home though!
I'll buy a new idler pulley bearing and belt today and get those put in...praying nothing overheated. I've read the bearing is #6203? Is that correct?

 

This is why I carry spare pulleys and a belt.

 

What pulleys do you carry with you?

 

Yeah I'd be curious what the usual suspects are. The pulley ended up being toast. Ordered one that should be here tomorrow.

 

Yeah I'd be curious what the usual suspects are! I pulled the pulley out and it's toast. I tried posting a picture of it here but it says the post needs to be reviewed? Ordered a new one that should be here tomorrow.

 

I carry both Idler pulleys and the belt. I don't think I have a spare tensioner...hmm

 

I've been through the same experience you had with a failing idler pulley bearing, but it was on an Isuzu. From that day on I have carried spares.

 

Good to know! I'll probably replace the other idler and tensioner pulleys soon too. I installed the new belt and pulley over the weekend and it's running great. No signs of hg leak and the coolant temp hovered around 194 which is what it did before.