The issues of idler blocking during belt conveyor operation were addressed, which leads to excessive friction and abnormal temperature rise between idlers and conveyor belts. A friction surface temperature rise model for faulty idlers and conveyor belts was established based on microscopic friction theory, considering the phenomenon of hysteresis-induced heat generation and utilizing the virtual work approach. The finite element method was employed to conduct a thermo-mechanical coupling simulation on the friction model to analyze the effects of belt speed and load on temperature rise. An experimental platform was constructed to investigate the heat generation from friction between faulty idlers and conveyor belts, where an infrared thermal imager was utilized to monitor the temperature rise under varying parameters. The results indicate that the friction-induced heat generation between faulty idlers and conveyor belts positively correlates with both belt speed and load. An increase in either factor results in heightened heat generation, with the heat being primarily concentrated on the surface of the faulty idlers. The maximum deviation between experimental values and theoretical calculations is 8.7%, confirming the reliability of the theoretical model. Corresponding measures are proposed based on these findings.