So i just replaced the serpentine belt cause she was squealing quite a bit & with the new one on it now only squeals & squeals loud when i turn 0n the AC! My AC works very well & i just put a heavy duty clutch fan on her with a new 195* superstat so could this issue be the bearing going bad in the AC compressor??

Thanks

 

Tighten the belt some. Belts stretch a lil when first installed.

 

Just thought I's toss this out here since I have it handy. I bought a new belt from O'Rileys:

Soaping Belt


Tight, tighter, tightest the darn new belt would still slip on the Alternator pulley under load.

Finally in desperation I went out there with a bottle of Dawn dish soap and the garden hose. Idling, I got it wet, then squirt soap on both sides, rinsed some, and soaped a little more. Let it idle a minute all soapy. To end, I ran the hose slow on it running for a couple minutes. Bingo! That solved it. There was some sort of coating on the new belt? Idk.

I normally run my belt as loose as I can, and still have the alternator not slip with the blower on high, and lights on brights. Puts less strain on all the other bearings. Radi pointed out a cool tip. After it might have been slipping, (voltage has been low), see if the Alt. pulley is hot. I want to go back and loosen it a tad now.

 

Got the belt at NAPA & bought the good one. Belt is nice & tight & any tighter would put too much pressure on the bearings as mentioned. Alternator is fine as she only squeals when i turn the AC on. I also listened to the bearings using a box wrench & hit the idle & its deffinatley not healthy so im assuming a bad bearing is the cause when the clutch engages. So can i swap out just the bearing on my 98 limited 4.0 or do i get a new compressor?? Im pretty sure the compressor in some way is the cause of the slipping, but i'll listen to whatever else u guys may think.

 

Have the same problem! But only when It's cold started an the A/C's turned on right away

 

OK I'm having trouble following.

First I'm thinking...if the ac compressor bearing were bad wouldn't it be a problem weather the AC is on or not?

To "listen with a box wrench" & "hit the idle" are unfamiliar terms. I might listen with a pipe or tube. Maybe you used a box wrench like one might use a dowel? (to your ear)

I guess if I were in your shoes I might pull the belt, then feel each pulley for play or roughness. Should be perfectly smooth turning them. Also a bad bearing will get hot.

Then/or the soap like I mentioned above. Just a couple tablespoons of dish soap and 5 minutes might put that to rest. At least it's easy and free, and you could rule out some junk making it slip.

Irritating, isn't it! The soap worked for me!

 

1) No cause when the AC is off, the clutch isn't engaged & doesn't spin. It only spins when u turn the AC on.

2) Putting any metal object to the compressor will let u hear the bearing nice & clear plus i was able to reach the throttle to hear the bearing at higher speeds, & like i said, it doesn't sound healthy at all.

3) Altho testing each pulley may be good to do, this only happens when the AC is turned on which is when the clutch engages on the compressor.

4) I've never heard of this "soaping a serpentine belt thingy" so it must not be common to do, & while i appreciate the info, i think i'll just stick to going about this by the book.

-So does anyone know if i can replace the bearing separately on my 98, or do i have to get a new compressor??

 

1/4 turn on belt correct?

 

Gottchya' Senior. Of course there is a bearing on the compressor taking the tension full time. If it's making ugly sounds maybe something there is shot. Sorry, no help there from me except to restate a bad bearing will get hot...eventually!

Yea, I get that the soap sounds goofy. Once rinsed squeaky clean, it did the trick. I did it as a last resort because I was stumped....everything else was right and the new belt was chirping. Haven't done it before or since.

 

Quarter turn meaning the "twist test" of how tight the belt is??

If so, i do both the 1/2" movement test & the 45* twist which is half of 90* so i assume the answer to ur question is yes...

 

Tighten the belt so it turns 1/4 sounds like belts to tight.

 

... Doesn't matter what I do, she ONLY squeals when the compressor engages!! That can only mean one thing, clutch bearings or compressor bearings. At least that's what my best guess of whats causing the brand new belt to slip so bad!!

... My question is, can I replace the $20 buck clutch bearings or do I go get a whole new compressor even tho she blows ice cold??

 

To answer you question: "can the clutch bearings on the compressor be replaced", the answer is yes. Rock Auto lists the bearing and I have done the install. You will have to grind the pinned areas down to get the bearing out. I don't think that is what your problem is. When my bearing failed it roared loudly even when the AC was off. I think you should tighten the belt a little bit more.

 

Spray water on belt when its running what happens ?

 

Mines doing this too. Don't forget that when the AC kicks on it's putting more strain on the belt. I already have mine pretty tight, but I will have to tighten more I guess. When I get around to it lol. I should also note that it does it more when turning than going straight too. Extra load from the power steering is a good indication belt is loose. When engine is cold, everything is harder to turn which is also more strain on the belt. Mine goes away mostly when warm as well.