AC Belt Fraying Apart?

[ZachM31]

Hey, i got my car without an AC belt on it, so i went a year and a half before breaking down and deciding to get a belt, so i did, put it on, worked awesome, and now, 1,500 miles later, i get out of my car to hear a slapping noise, so i pop the hood, and to my surprise i see that a part of one of the ribs on the belt has broken off and is just getting swung around, so i cut that piece off and investigate. Nothing really appears to be rubbing. So i dont know what to think. When i took my intake manifold off this winter i remember finding a piece of belt on top of the runners (where the transistor pack is).. so i assume that is where the last belt went too... any tips on what to do? I dont think that being too tight should have any effects on it to the point of ripping a belt apart... any help will be great..thanks!

 

[MikeCordell]

I'm not entirely sure but could it be the timing belt cover eating into the belt somewhere? I had a problem with the timing belt covers eating into both the timing belt and the accessory belt. Instead of replacing belts frequently I removed the covers. It is not recommended but it is a start.

 

[ZachM31]

hey thanks, sorry i wasn't completely specific, it is fraying apart on the side towards me when i stare down at it (opposite side from the side that faces the timing belt covers) so i'm not sure if it is the AC compressor pulley that is eating it, the idler pulley, or the crankshaft pulley... thanks again!

 

[marin_2k2]

I had the same problem with my belt. Now I'm on the second belt. I replaced it about 600 miles ago and it's barely frayed on the side facing away from the engine and the v ribs are still in good condition. Both of the belts were from Napa. The v-ribs were really tore up from the first one. I had a small film of shredded belt on the whole area behind the driver's headlight. So far so good on the one I have on now. I don't know why the first one got so tore up though.

 

[toybreaker]

My first thought was the idler pulley/bracket misaligned, or bad idler pulley bearing.

If you look down from the top, does the belt run look aligned as the belt loops around the pulleys?

Another thought is the harmonic dampner is delaminating, and the belt is being side loaded, but I would think that would also shred the alternator belt as well.

When the belt is off, spin the a/c pulley, and then try and turn the center part of the a/c pulley. The a/c uses a magnetic clutch to actuate the compressor, and it's possible there's an internal compressor issue.

Is there any rust/red dust on the pulley/clutch assembly?

Does the system make any noise when the compressor actuates?

I would STRONGLY recommend against running with the belt cover off. If you do shred another belt, and a chunk gets proccessed between the t-belt gears and the t-belt, you just bought a whole world of hurt...

 

[FORMONTOYA]

If you haven't changed the crank pulley on the car yet, that would be my vote. When those go, it starts to chew belts. Although you will usually hear it squeaking also, especially at startup.

 

[ZachM31]

hey thanks for all the input, the belt seemed like it sat on the compressor kind of tight, like it was too wide? but i replaced the crankshaft pulley with a new oem one about 10K miles ago, i can turn that inside part of the compressor as well... everything seems to be in good shape..i'm just hoping that one rib ripped off because it sat on the compressor like it did, and now it's done tearing itself apart. I dont hear any unusual noises though when i activate the AC, just the engine pull down a bit and the idle raise...