Flopping AC belt

[axisg]

So I got my AC sorted out this week. Driving for a couple days ( short trips mind you ) with no issue. However sitting in heavy traffic on the 401 yesterday the AC belt started chirping on occasion which turned to squealing. Only at idle with my foot on the brake and the AC on. Once back to work I popped the hood and with the AC on the belt is bouncing around pretty bad/ I pulled the last bit of slack out of the belt but it still does it only with the AC on.

So here's the question. As I plan to go 1 belt size smaller should I be looking into some kind of a belt dressing ? I assume its the compressor cycling that's grabbing the belt and making it flop and bounce around. I also recall a pic on here in the last few weeks where someone put an idler pulley on the bottom slot of the AC bracket ( I assume to keep the belt from flopping around ). I will sort thru my pile o parts and see if I can dig one up.

Otherwise having working AC is so sweet. It takes about 10 mins to get the car comfortable and about 20 mins before I have to turn down the fan speeds because I am too cold. Keep in mind its only been in the mid 80's this week so I am sure it will get tested once we get the summer heat they keep talking about

 

[82GPLJ455]

My v6 did that.made a snapping noise whether the ac was on or not.drove me nuts,had to cut it off.

 

[axisg]

OK I am down 2 sizes smaller now. The damn bolts on the back of the compressor are bottoming out on the valve cover so I only get half the adjustment I should. I had to pry the latest belt on to the last pulley with a pair of flat chisels but its on there now and holding tight which much less flopping around with the AC on. Took it out for a drive on the highway with my son after supper tonight. Shifted at 5500 rpm in 1st and 2nd which had me a little over the speed limit LOL and he didn't bat an eye.... nor did I toss a belt so I call that a win !
I have a meeting to head to Monday morning which is 60 or so miles away in Cambridge. It should be a nice drive and a decent test on how well it will hold up. It would be nice if a smaller belt would fix the problem but that is so rarely the case when it comes to me and anything mechanical.
Anybody recall that picture with the idler pulley I had mentioned ?? I found one in my boat parts drawer that I can make work. If the belt starts flopping tomorrow I have it in my toolbox in the car to try.....

 

[pontiacgp]

Good luck on the 401 parking lot and watch out for the construction in Cambridge....

 

[RegalBegal]

If that idler pulley works for you post pics. I have the same issue and am curious to see if it works.

 

[axisg]

I knew I had seen it somewhere. Found the thread over at MR.
http://www.maliburacing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=121944&hilit=pulley+on+the+ac+bracket

Cambridge and back, no problems other than heavy traffic coming back into the city. The belt is holding and not stretched. Heading over to the local parts jobber to see if he will let me wander thru his stock room to find an appropriate pulley by eye.

 

[axisg]

No luck at the parts jobber. The smallest idler pulley he had in stock was 3.5" OD, and the smallest he could find to order in was 3.25" OD so that is much too big to work. Today I went over to a local bearing manufacturer and the nice lady behind the counter helped me for about an hour. We came close but the best we could do was stack a couple bearings to get the width I would need but we could only come up with a 1.5" OD which is too small. Back to the parts jobber ( yeah its a little slow at work ! ) and digging thru his stuffs while browsing Rockauto we found that a 'yota Timing Belt Tensioner from a Turdcel or MR2 should be a decent fit ( on paper anyways ). Its got a 10mm ID so a standard bolt will fit, and an adjustment built in to fine tune the tension.

Worst case I will try the spare tensioner pulley from my 2.3VP boat motor but its got a 3/4" ID which I could sleeve but I really would like to keep it as a spare for my boat if I can.

I have a couple videos shot. Been too lazy to upload but it will come.

 

[axisg]

Well the 'yota Timing tensioner was a bust. Once I got my hands on it I seen I would have to modify the unit more than I wanted. It is slightly smaller that what I am using now so if I found one at the wreckers I may go that route in the future. In the end I used the spare timing belt tensioner from my boat motor ( AQ131 / Volvo 2.3 ). I put it on a couple days ago and it seems to be doing the trick.
With the pulley in place I was able to slacken the tension off the belt some. Thus far I have not heard any slippage in stop-and-go traffic with the AC on. Its going to get warm and humid here for the next few days so it will get a workout to be sure.
With the AC on now the belt still flops a little coming off the waterpump but once it hits the Idler Pulley ( which is barely touching the belt as you can see in the pics ) it smoothes right out.

Bucket is giving me a hard time about video upload so here are some static pictures

Orig Flopping belt


The Tensioner needed a bushing to pull it down to a bolt size I could use on the bracket


After