Can I drive without AC belt?

[Aelfwine]

My compressor is making all kinds of noise. I'm installing my supercharger this week and thought about just keeping the AC belt off until summer when I replace the compressor. The noise just pisses me off... So can I run without the AC belt? Just not sure if the belt runs anything else...

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

My compressor is making all kinds of noise. I'm installing my supercharger this week and thought about just keeping the AC belt off until summer when I replace the compressor. The noise just pisses me off... So can I run without the AC belt? Just not sure if the belt runs anything else...

Yes, perfectly fine.

 

[s20004runner]

yes

I previously had to replace the seized ac belt tensioner. That may be a cause?

 

[stir_fry_boy]

yes

I previously had to replace the seized ac belt tensioner. That may be a cause?

I also replaced mine, bearing was making tons of noise. Dealer wanted about $50 for the pulley, so I went aftermarket at NAPA.

 

[IBallEngineer]

Every time you drive without the A/C belt on, 1 Jeep has a flat tire!

 

[Aelfwine]

yes



I previously had to replace the seized ac belt tensioner. That may be a cause?

I will look into that as well. Although it gets really loud when it engages so I'm pretty sure the compressor is bad.

 

[Sense-A]

AC Belt Broke Off, Overheating Same Day?

Hey guys.

Need some help with diagnosis.

My AC belt snapped off. I figured it wasn't a big deal. I drove home.

However, the engine began to run hot.

Is there any relation to the AC belt breaking off and the engine running hotter?

Or did I suffer a huge coincidence in which I had two failures happen concurrently the same day?

Does the AC belt effect the water pump? Or engine cooling?

I'm actually hoping the two problems are related and solved by simply replacing the belt. But I want to know what you experienced techs think.

It seems like if I make a turn or go over a bump, the temp will drop back down a little. But it seems like the coolant isn't circulating well.

Thanks!

 

[Sense-A]

On second thought,

It may be that an overheating problem caused the belt to break.

The radiator mail have boiled over, and some hot coolant got on the AC belt broke and broke it. There was some evidence this may have been the case since the hose to the radiator overflow tank was loose.

That's probably what happened.

So now I have to diagnose an overheating problem. Ughh. I'll do a search, but please link me to a good overheating/cooling diagnosis thread if you already know of one. Thanks!

 

[Dieselchessy]

More than likely your belt issues and overheating issues are related by a lack of maintenance.

The water pump is driven by the timing belt.
The 3 belts you can see drive the AC pump, power steering pump, cooling fan, and alternator.
You can visually inspect those by just opening the hood and looking.

Coolant shouldn’t damage a belt unless it causes it to slip and then burn up from slipping. This takes some time and usually involves a fair amount of squealing.

 

[Sense-A]

Thank you for the response.

The belt closest to the engine powers the alternator. I replaced that last year.

The middle belt is for the AC. That's the one that broke off.

The one closest to the radiator powers the power steering.

I'm pretty sure that radiator fluid spilled out and splashed on the belts. The middle one didn't survive hot fluid splashing on it.

My radiator cap (underside) looks damage. There's no spring action.

I am now going to replace the radiator cap and thermostat and report back.

There is no milkiness in the oil. No apparent leaks of fluid (other than from overflow from top of radiator cap to overflow reservoir). No white smoke. No sweet smell of burning radiator fluid. So hopefully no head gasket problem yet. Radiator fan is spinning and working as it should.

It hasn't red-lined, but is running at about 3/4 on the temp gauge. Though I only run it for short trips.

I already have some new belts to put on. Just want to address the overheating first.

 

[phattyduck]

Start with a new OEM radiator cap. Yes, OEM. Don't cheap out, the parts store crap leaks.

That might be all you need to fix the overheating.

-Charlie

 

[Sense-A]

There was definitely something wrong with the underside of my radiator cap. I'd take a picture and show you but my phone is broken (it's been a bad week).

Unfortunately, replacing it did not solve the problem.

I will try thermostat next.

I have a bad feeling it might be the water pump.

 

[T4topher]

There was definitely something wrong with the underside of my radiator cap. I'd take a picture and show you but my phone is broken (it's been a bad week).

Unfortunately, replacing it did not solve the problem.

I will try thermostat next.

I have a bad feeling it might be the water pump.

At that point if you have to do the water pump you midswell do the timing belt if you haven’t already.. definitely could be the thermostat stuck closed though.

 

[Sense-A]

Ughhh.....Thermostat didn't fix problem.

Anything else to check before I start researching which water pump and timing belt to buy and carve out an entire weekend to do it?

 

[alumarine]

Is the cooling fan spinning when the motor is running?

 

[Sense-A]

Is the cooling fan spinning when the motor is running?

Yeah. Fan clutch seems good.

I'm thinking it has to be a clogged radiator that's not circulating well, or a bad water pump.

However, I read that if I have the high heat on and it is indeed blowing hot heat (very hot when temp gauge starts to go up past half point), that the water pump is circulating?

Is there any way to check if that port hole on the water pump has any pink sludge around it without taking too many things apart?

I'm going to take the skid plate off in the morning and have a better look.

 

[Bad Luck]

Ughhh.....Thermostat didn't fix problem.

Anything else to check before I start researching which water pump and timing belt to buy and carve out an entire weekend to do it?

Did you bleed/purge the cooling system of air after replacing the radiator cap and thermostat? OEM radiator cap?

 

[Sense-A]

Did you bleed/purge the cooling system of air after replacing the radiator cap and thermostat? OEM radiator cap?

Good news guys. I fixed it!

I'm not sure exactly what fixed it, but I did 3 things.

Replaced radiator cap, which alone did not fix it. However, the old cap did have a piece missing from the bottom. Whether or not this was preventing a good seal, I am not sure.

Secondly, I replaced the thermostat. While doing so, I drained the coolant out of the radiator. I refilled with 1 gallon of the Asian red stuff from advanced auto. This, too, did not fix it. At least not right away.

So then I figured maybe the 1 gallon wasn't enough to top off the radiator. So I bought another gallon and used about 3/4 of it to top the radiator to the very top. I'd drive a little bit, loosen the cap to burp it, drive a little bit, loosen cap to burp it, repeat while driving around my neighborhood.

While doing this I had heat full blast and turned off overdrive.

Now everything is running cool. As good as new. Needle is stuck just below halfway point.

I don't think I did any permanent damage because the 2-3 times it hit the red line I shut the engine down immediately.

I was so happy that I went ahead and replaced the power steering belt and AC belt.

Thank you to everyone who helped me. And thanks to the wealth of knowledge in this forum which helped me diagnose and go step by step trying the cheaper solutions first. And thank GOD I don't have to try to get in there and replace a water pump or something more serious and expensive.

 

[phattyduck]

I replaced the thermostat.

Jiggle valve down, I hope? (opposite most all other engines)

The normal procedure for refilling most cooling systems is to fill as much as you can with the engine off, turn engine on and then keep filling as much as you can. A bit of revving, etc. will help get the bubbles out.

Expect to then have to do a couple warming and cooling cycles to get the rest of the bubbles out. The reservoir will drop a couple times during this time and need periodic refilling.

Some vehicles are a bit more involved or sensitive to filling procedure.

-Charlie

 

[Sense-A]

Yes. Jiggle valve down. Thanks to this forum I knew to do that.

Now that you mention it, I'll check the radiator a few times to see if I can get the rest of that jug in there now that it's cycled through a few times driving.

I also suspect that after 5+ years the antifreeze starts to lose some of its cooling properties. I'm not a chemist and don't entirely understand how it might break down over time, but that's my unproven theory at least. I'm in the hot humid south so the cooling system is working a lot because that thermostat is open a lot because it is hot as hell from April to October.

I don't have much in the reservoir, but should probably add some there to make sure air stays out of the system. In fact, that might have been how this entire problem all started. A large cut in the hose from the radiator to that overflow reservoir may have started to cause other problems.