ac belt?
#1
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ac belt?
Hey guys, TGIF
I recently lost my AC, preceded by a bearing noise. I assumed my compressor was shot, but the dealer tells me I got no AC belt?
They are telling me 3 hours labor to put a new AC belt on?
Anyone know what's involved in replacing this belt?
Thanks!
I recently lost my AC, preceded by a bearing noise. I assumed my compressor was shot, but the dealer tells me I got no AC belt?
They are telling me 3 hours labor to put a new AC belt on?
Anyone know what's involved in replacing this belt?
Thanks!
Last edited by sod; 08-27-2010 at 12:14 PM.
#2
TECH Addict
iTrader: (14)
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Owasso, OK
Posts: 2,342
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is it possible that the compressor finally locked up and kicked the belt off? FYI, the ac belt is behind the main serpentine. Pull it, and you should be able to worm in there to get a new one on. Pretty self explanatory when you get in there.
#3
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've sure that is exactly what happened.
My dilemma is, however, that I have a 3rd party warranty, that will pay for an AC compressor, but the dealer can't diagnose a bad compressor without putting a belt on it first, & they quoted me $500 to put on an AC belt, so that they could diagnose it.
Anyone have first hand experience replacing the AC belt?
Thanks!
My dilemma is, however, that I have a 3rd party warranty, that will pay for an AC compressor, but the dealer can't diagnose a bad compressor without putting a belt on it first, & they quoted me $500 to put on an AC belt, so that they could diagnose it.
Anyone have first hand experience replacing the AC belt?
Thanks!
#5
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
in the interest of maintaining accuracy,
the $500 quote is parts & labor to replace both belts.
That doesn't make it any less absurd though.
Thanks for the info guys, have a good weekend.
the $500 quote is parts & labor to replace both belts.
That doesn't make it any less absurd though.
Thanks for the info guys, have a good weekend.
#7
TECH Addict
iTrader: (19)
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Where the Navy tells me to go
Posts: 2,408
Received 107 Likes
on
89 Posts
I've done it before - actually, I replaced the A/C tensioner, and of course put a new belt on at the same time. I don't recall if I pulled the radiator & fans to make access easier; I think I probably did. What I do recall is that the belt was an absolute bitch to get back on. I wasn't sure what length I needed (I have the ATI underdrive damper), so I had two different belts. One was too long and put the tensioner out of range, and the next size down was almost impossible to stretch on there, but put the tensioner where it's supposed to be.
Trending Topics
#10
TECH Addict
iTrader: (13)
Book calls for removing a bunch of ****, including the radiator, which is why the time is high. You multiply that book time by 100+/hour and that $500 starts to look normal. They're not cutting you any slack but not horsef*cking you either. My guess is it wouldn't be much/any more to R&R the compressor since most of the disassembly is already done. Paying to get cars fixed is expensive nowadays. This forum sorta straddles the pay for service and DIY crowds due to the age of the platform. To figure out if something is "fair" or not, for you, you need to know what your time is worth and how long it would take you to do that job. Got to include set up and clean up too. This **** is a PITA and if you don't love it...it's like real work. Can it be done faster with skill and practice? Sure, but it can also go long/sideways. Would I pay $500 for that work right now? Probably not. Have I before and might I again? Yep. What is your time worth, per hour? (rhetorical question BTW)
#12
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (3)
I replaced mine when I replaced the AC compressor... or was it when I replaced the dampener? Either way, the radiator was out at the time which made access very easy. It would be a real PITA with the radiator in place. I also replaced the pulley on the tensioner rather than the tensioner itself. I figured the pulley was more likely to fail and was much cheaper to replace than the actual tensioner. This was done around 170k.