removing a belt

[ianGST]

My A/C belt is damaged and will need replacing but I am unable to do so at the moment, would there be any problem with simply removing (cutting?) the belt and run the car with no A/C in order to get rid of the horrid squeel for the time being? Belt dressing didn't help and I am willing to sacrifice my A/C for a few days if that is the only loss by removing it.

Ian

 

[dthquazi1]

yes i believe you can do that.

 

[turboholic]

would there be any problem with simply removing (cutting?) the belt

-There wouldn't be any problem with cutting the belt off.

 

[GSGoinFast]

doesnt that cut out your power steering tho?

 

[tsunari]

Yeah, you can just cut the A/C belt. Only thing it does is turn/power the A/C compressor. Shouldn't harm anything.

 

[ianGST]

Hmm .. I was about to make the cut but realized that the squeel might not be from the damaged belt. It looks as though the pulley for the power steering is angled a little bit off causing the PS belt to rub the edge or rim of the pulley. That surely can't be right (even though it isn't off by much). Any suggestions?

Ian

P.S. I've had annoying belt squeel and tightened the belts by adjusting the alternator, so I'm ruling things out as I go. I used belt dressing on all the belts but I really want to avoid buying new belts and having to put them in or pay $70-$80 to have a mechanic do it. How hard are the belts to put in?

 

[tsunari]

You know what. . . I have the same problem with my PS bracket. it looks like it's off JUST a bit. Not sure how it got there either. Those brackets seem pretty stout.

Hmm .. I was about to make the cut but realized that the squeel might
not be from the damaged belt. It looks as though the pulley for the power steering is angled a little bit off causing the PS belt to rub the edge or rim of the pulley. That surely can't be right (even though it isn't off by much). Any suggestions?

Ian

P.S. I've had annoying belt squeel and tightened the belts by adjusting the alternator, so I'm ruling things out as I go. I used belt dressing on all the belts but I really want to avoid buying new belts and having to put them in or pay $70-$80 to have a mechanic do it. How hard are the belts to put in?

 

[turbohappy]

Hmm .. I was about to make the cut but realized that the squeel might not be from the damaged belt. It looks as though the pulley for the power steering is angled a little bit off causing the PS belt to rub the edge or rim of the pulley. That surely can't be right (even though it isn't off by much). Any suggestions?

Well, the AC belt probably isn't going to squeal much if you're not using your ac, so I would definitely look at the other belts also. Tests like - does it squeal more when you turn, more when you turn the AC on, or more when you turn the headlights on?

 

[GSGoinFast]

belts are not that hard to install at all. well at least on my NT. i just take the wheel well cover off, loosen the tensioner bolts, and weave the belt through the system of pulleys

 

[ianGST]

Okay, so I was 99% sure it was my power steering belt that was making the noise so I decided to remove it and get a bit of a work out until I had the means to replace it. Anyway, my alternator tensioner bolt is missing and the alternator is locked in exactly where I want it, so to avoid messing with that I simply cut the PS belt off since I'll be needing a new one anyway. Unfortunately I was wrong, the squeel is still going strong. It sounds to be from the belt that goes to the alternator so I'm not going to touch that, but any suggestions as to what I can do next? I'm pretty messed up belt wise now because A) my alt belt squeels, B) i cut the PS belt off, and C) my A/C belt seems damaged but doesn't squeel. I guess I just need to fork out the cash and get all three new belts and have them put on or do it myself, right?

Ian

 

[tsunari]

Try this trick . . . go get a spray bottle and fill it up with some water. Start your engine and then MIST the water on the belt- preferably on one of the pulleys. When you spray the water, the squeak should stop *depending on how bad the squeak/squeal is*

Also. . . check the deflection of the belt- If I'm not mistaken, I believe it should deflect about 1/4 or just a little more than 1/4 of an inch.

And yes- I would definitely do the belts yourself.

+Put the front end up on jack stands
+Remove the front left tire
+Remove the splash guard
+Support the engine with a jack & block of wood on the oil pan
+Remove your left engine mount
+Proceed to remove the belts

It's pretty simple

Okay, so I was 99% sure it was my power steering belt that was making the noise so I decided to remove it and get a bit of a work out until I had the means to replace it. Anyway, my alternator tensioner bolt is missing and the alternator is locked in exactly where I want it, so to avoid messing with that I simply cut the PS belt off since I'll be needing a new one anyway. Unfortunately I was wrong, the squeel is still going strong. It sounds to be from the belt that goes to the alternator so I'm not going to touch that, but any suggestions as to what I can do next? I'm pretty messed up belt wise now because A) my alt belt squeels, B) i cut the PS belt off, and C) my A/C belt seems damaged but doesn't squeel. I guess I just need to fork out the cash and get all three new belts and have them put on or do it myself, right?

Ian

 

[ianGST]

Is there any easy way to tell if its the pulley thats bad? I mean the belt looks good and is fairly new.. I hate messing with the belt going to the alternator and fear it might be the pulley or its bearings or something.

 

[LiquidOC]

it sounds like your crank pulley has gone out, too bad, but that's what i heard when mine went out.

EDIT: easy way to tell if your pulley's damaged? if it's the crank pulley, when you remove the belts, the damn thing will wiggle around where the belts attach to it.

 

[ianGST]

How did you fix it and how much did it cost? Thanks for the information though, I was afraid it would be more than a belt

Ian

 

[LiquidOC]

I got a new harmonic balancer from coincelli (i forget how to spell it, but you can go to http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=840) find your part, i believe it's under engine parts dunno though, you can search for "vibration dampener" once you select your car. It's easy enough to replace, just get underneath the car on the driver's side, and it's the lowest pulley, you'll probably have to remove a splash gaurd (i did) and use a 12mm to remove the smaller bolts around the outside, but DO NOT let the pulley rotate counter clockwise (Side Note: I am not a mechanic, and I could be wrong on this all together, so I don't know, but this is the way that worked for me.) replace all your belts, even your power steering, just to be safe (you're in there anyways...) and viola, you're done. also, I believe your problem with your power steering bracket has a recall out for it, but i'm not sure, you might wanna look that up.

 

[ianGST]

Thank you very much, sir!

Ian

 

[LiquidOC]

Not a problem, but i cannot garuntee that that is the part that will fix all your problems