Belt squeal

[Ellary]

After hearing a loud squeal from the front of the car upon starting I watched the belts after the car was started. The A/C compressor pulley did not turn immediately then turned slowly then faster then stopped turning, the noise returning, then slowly turned again.

The belt tension appears OK.

Do I need to replace the A/C compressor?

[telcoman]

After hearing a loud squeal from the front of the car upon starting I watched the belts after the car was started. The A/C compressor pulley did not turn immediately then turned slowly then faster then stopped turning, the noise returning, then slowly turned again.

The belt tension appears OK.

Do I need to replace the A/C compressor?

How old is the belt? It may be stretched.

Telcoman

I

[Ellary]

If it was stretched, wouldn't the tension be off?

[audtatious]

Loosen the tension and see if the a/c compressor pulley is difficult to turn. I doubt it's the belt if the tension is OK and since it seems the compressor starts to turn then stops.

[Ellary]

Thanks.
One other question: is replacing it something I could do myself? I know it needs special tools. From reading the procedure in the manual it appears a bit complicated as the Freon needs to be captured, etc. I can buy a used compressor on eBay for $110. I assume a mechanic would charge more for one.

[audtatious]

I personally won't mess with anything related to the A/C and would pay someone else to do it for me. Sure, you could save some money doing it yourself but you could also have issues where you sink money into tools and such but then still need to take it in for repair. Been there, done that.

[Ellary]

Well, the compressor pulley turns freely. I was able to turn it with the engine off and with the engine on. So maybe it's the belt after all? At least that's something I can change myself.

The service manual says: the clutch remains engaged unless the main switch, fan switch or ignition switch is OFF or ambient temps are low. (It doesn't say how low.) Is it possible that when the compressor clutch is engaged the problem occurs? I'm not sure why it would have engaged all the times I heard the belt squeal. Although the AC is on I don't see why the compressor would be on when I start the car. It hasn't been warm enough to need it. Just want to cover all the bases.

One more thing. I cut the belt off so i can use the car until I get this fixed. Would it do any harm to leave it off for a couple of months until I can get to it? Removing the engine cover is a PITA. I'd rather wait until I have to do other service.

Thanks again for your help.

[telcoman]

Ellary

I personally won't mess with anything related to the A/C and would pay someone else to do it for me. Sure, you could save some money doing it yourself but you could also have issues where you sink money into tools and such but then still need to take it in for repair. Been there, done that.

Reread the above what Matt replied to you

Telcoman

[audtatious]

The service manual says: the clutch remains engaged unless the main switch, fan switch or ignition switch is OFF or ambient temps are low. (It doesn't say how low.) Is it possible that when the compressor clutch is engaged the problem occurs? I'm not sure why it would have engaged all the times I heard the belt squeal. Although the AC is on I don't see why the compressor would be on when I start the car. It hasn't been warm enough to need it. Just want to cover all the bases.

It's possible that when the clutch engages the additional drag on the belt is causing it to slip and can be an indication that the belt is old or the tension is still not where it needs to be. You have also not said anything about the age of the belt. As belts are cheap I would just replace it and see if that resolves the problem or not.

One more thing. I cut the belt off so i can use the car until I get this fixed. Would it do any harm to leave it off for a couple of months until I can get to it? Removing the engine cover is a PITA. I'd rather wait until I have to do other service.

I don't know what issues with the system could be caused by not having it functional. It may cause an issue down the road because even using defrost will try and run the compressor. I'd have to punt that question to a mechanic who works with those systems.

[joe603]

Any belt dressing used? That can cause squealing...

[Ellary]

No belt dressing used.

[kmckis1029]

i had a squealing of my belt for the first time at 80k miles on my G37... the indicator said the belt was only halfway out of spec after 80k miles. I replaced the belt still just because of the age of the belt. Its a easy DIY job, only special tool you need is a slim breaker bar.