Hey guys I pinpointed the metallic rattling to the idler pulley's bearings going bad, which I originally thought was my supercharger (so glad it wasn't). Problem is I'm 100 miles from home as I'm at college right now. Should I be okay to baby it home to fix it?

 

That is a tough call. No AAA to get it towed? You will need to decide how bad it is. How long has it been making noise? Has the noise been getting worse?

I think the worst case would be that the bearing seizes and the belt starts riding across the stopped pulley, after a while the belt will get hot and break. If the belt breaks you will need to stop and get towed because the water pump will stop. If the belt started to shred instead of breaking nicely, the belt could whip around and damage other parts such as the belt tensioner which is not cheap to replace.

If if has been making noise and not quickly gotten worse, I would tend to take the risk and drive the car home, listening carefully and even stopping frequently to check pulley and belt.

 

If your cars has many miles and I suspect it does if the pulley is dying then you might want to think about a whole kit with pulley, tensioner, and belt such as:
https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2004-...eys/ES2581941/

 

I'm at only at 113,000. The belt and the tensioner still look great. When's the usual mark for failure with the idler/adjustment pulley?

 

I just recognized the noise a couple days ago and it was really really faint. Like almost a spinning metallic noise but very faint. It doesn't happen at idle and only after getting the car to driving speed do I hear the noise. After I release the gas it continues till I stop. I hear it the most from the passenger side and pinpointed it lower.

 

I would risk the drive home. Usually pulleys will make noise for a long time before they seize. If you can reach, you could give it some lubricant.

I replaced my tensioner and pulleys at 90,000 to be safe because when the tensioner fails can cause damage.

 

That's what I was thinking. The noise was startling, just interesting so I looked into it. What kind of noises does the idler pulley usually make when it's gone bad? Does my diagnosis of it being the Idler sound correct?

 

Your description sounds like a bearing noise. You can use a long screwdriver or automotive stethoscope to listen to the bearing to make sure it is the bearing. With a screwdriver, carefully put the blade on the pulley bolt (while engine is running), and put your ear on the handle end. Try it on easy to reach parts first.

Here is a link to a $4 automotive stethoscope. I use mine all the time.
http://www.harborfreight.com/mechani...ope-69913.html

 

^Yep^, but remember that these motors are very noisy, so it's sometimes hard to pinpoint the source of the bearing noise. Removing the belt and feeling the pulley for bearing slop/grind can assist in the diagnosis.