Fan Belt Issues again (air-con/ power steering) please help

[SchumieFan]

I've changed a power steering pump before as the bearing all but collapsed. It never dropped a belt thou!

I'd just drop all the belts off to check items they run past. Perhaps have a look at the air con compressor. You can run the car with the belts off for a few minutes without harm. Why not turn the car on, turn the air con on & see if the air con compressor will turn... if the internal clutch in it is gone, they can grab & release very quickly. Ie straining the belt briefly then disengaging.

yeah mine grabbed at the lights a few times then seized, hell of alotta blaack smoke but it didnt drop the belt, just shredded it... sounds like an out of alignment pulley...

by the by, this may not just be a bent pulley, but a bent rod holding the bastard on.

ive also seen the a/c compressor bent at the mounting nuts puttin the whole unit off alignment and thus dropping the belt, but you couldnt tell from the naked eye.

good luck, they're bastards... barely worth the 400 bux

[RallyMad]

Long time since my last update but here we go.

To add to my problems the steering rack is pissing out fluid so the FTO is parked up until I can get a reco steering rack into it. (for a laugh and to check the part number I asked Mitsi for a new one $2,500 hmmm, sure buddy.

I have run it without the belts off and have not noticed a problem with alignment of the a'c compressor or power steering belt.

Storm: Have tried that before as well but it was hard to pick the sound, though I know think it is the steering rack having a whinge cause of the amount seal damage it must have cause both the rack ends are full of fluid.

Still not sure if it is the p's pump or the air-con compressor. As said a dozen or so mechanics have now looked at it and know one can find anything out of alignment. Most of us still think it is the p's pump as well and not the a/c compressor.

One mechanic was going to send me a new p/s pump bracket and told me to bend it a bit and see if that fixes things, the steering and suspension specialist that I like locally laughed his ass off at this, as did I. Not liking, I'm going to fix the bloody problem and not dodge it up thank you very much

I'm waiting to talk to some p/s steering pump specialist at the moment cause I swear I can pick up a little wobble in the pulley, but this could just be a shiny spot from where the belts have been moving. I think this might have happened cause the belt was overtensioned at one point by a stupid mechanic who didn't bother changing the tensioner even though it failed a week later. I know when the belt went then (the 1st time) it was on stupidly tight.


At the moment I'm heading towards getting a new pump and see what that does. If that doesn't fix it I'll replace the a/c compressor as well.

[RallyMad]

Though from what you have both reported I'm really thinking it might be a good idea to chuck another a/c compressor on it first, or at least take it off and take a squezz at the mounting brackets.

Anyone know of a way to check if the mounting brackets are bent, should it be visible once I remove it?

[RallyMad]

Had a bit of a play over the lat couple of weekends. Still can't seem to find anything out of alignment but I have located the noise I think. Seems to be the air-con compressor as you have all told me.

The compressor is still working fine so would a clutch replacement correct the noise?

Or do I need a replacement compressor?

Just got to get some money sorted to do that and I'll see if that fixes my belt problems as you have all assumed.

Definately won't be buying a new air-con compressor and power steering pump though unless I win the lotto, kempy's tell me $4000 Especailly when I'm not convinced that will fix my problems anymore.

[vipfto]

replace compressor as bearings are in unit, just get a used one I can get you a part number as happen to have one in my garage but its stuffed too

[RallyMad]

Thanks vipfto. I can't afford it for now anyway and it's still working and not stripping the belt if I don't rev over 5k.

Thanks again, hopefully it will hold out until after my mates wedding in March then I'll have some money to replace it.

I don't need the part number thanks mate. I've got ASA

[silverGPX]

Mate i have an aircon compressor, it wasnt making any noise, before i pulled it out. Just didnt work. Your welcome to have it if u can use it for parts. i have found aircon compressors very very very hard to come by i was lucky pete had one.

[RallyMad]

Thanks Matt. But beyond replacing the cluthces even auto lece's I've talked to have screamed and run away when I've mentioned something like that.

[silverGPX]

MY dad can rebuild it for you, hes done many compressors.

[RallyMad]

Fair enough, thanks Matt. When can I pick it up then? Might be a good chance to pull both out and have a play myself with at the public holiday this month. Knowing your Dad may to that for me means I don't have to worry if I can't put it back together, right, lol!

[I8A4RE]

Garth what spare parts do you need? If you want anything off my GPX to try and get this problem fixed just let me know. If we identify the problem and one of my parts has helped you can just pay me when ever. Let me know mate.

[RallyMad]

Mate at the moment I think it is the air-con compressor or it's bracket so if you can spare those it would be great.

That will fix the air-con anyway, the belt hasn't moved since the air-con compressor got bad bearing noise and stopped making cold air and the air it does make is very metallic in smell (I stopped using the air-con as should as I smelled it).

So I'm hoping that sorts it, if not I'll try another power steering pump bracket, then a pump if I can get my hands on one.

I'm working full time again now so I will be able to pay you for any parts, please let me know what you can spare.

Cheers mate!
Garth

[RallyMad]

sorry for dragging up an old thread but UPDATE!

weird the belt isn't moving much now which has me convinced that its the air-con compressor to blame, still haven't had the ability to replace the old compressor but hopefully that will fix all. I'm still just running a 4PK belt and moving it back in the middle when it moves. Haven't been running the air-con now for nearly a year which makes me believe the clutch wasn't helping matters. But the belt still moves at high rev changes like redline quick gear changes.

[payaya]

What is your tension on belt?? Pushing down on the at the longest belt point between pulleys there should be about 1 cm of deflection with 10 kgs of force. Use scales for this.

how do you know the belt is moving??

Balancer bolt requires about 150-200 nm of torque which is axel crown nut tight. Is easy to make a balancer holder to stop the engine from moving when doing up the bolt.

[RallyMad]

What is your tension on belt?? Pushing down on the at the longest belt point between pulleys there should be about 1 cm of deflection with 10 kgs of force. Use scales for this.

how do you know the belt is moving??

Balancer bolt requires about 150-200 nm of torque which is axel crown nut tight. Is easy to make a balancer holder to stop the engine from moving when doing up the bolt.

hey payaya, been a long time mate. I don't have access to scales but it's been checked by 10 different mechanics and the tension is about right.

The belt moves by jumping a cog toward the engine on the p/s pully. with a 6pk belt on this of course causes it to start shreding on the side of the pully etc, thankfully I've only had the crank angle sensor wire broken once. Now with a 4pk belt on I just move it back when it does move.

There isn't any play in the harmonic balancer and the idler pully has been replaced 5 times, it's fine. There is the normal range of play in the p/s pully. What I think is the problem is the air-con pully, it is a 1thou out of alignment with the idler pully. But I think this is an issue with the compressor, I think it has been slowly failing since a crap mechanic fitted a screwed idler pully that failed at speed, I think this damaged the air-con pully.

The air-con is pumping gas into the cabin now and I'm hoping replacing the compressor will fix my issues, just got to save up the cash to get it done.

[mosti]

Resurrecting old thread.
Did you ever get this sorted out?
Sounds like a massive headcase and if it's been sorted, maybe it can help many members along the track

[RallyMad]

Hi Mosti,

because of unemployed and disability I haven't had anything to update about this thus no posts .

But trust me you now about it when I get it fixed.

Has has been said the air-con compressor is stuffed, once I get working again I'll get it fixed or replaced.

Hoping that fixes it but if not I think I'd be looking at get a new power steering pulley from dstocks and see if that stopped it.

Thanks for your interest mosti

[mosti]

Ah well hope you're able to get it sorted when the coin and time is available.
Don't forget to post the outcome here