Smokin' A/C

[Lord Stanley]

Well on my way to college today I turned on the defroster full blast and was met with an awful smell... I turn everything off and kept on going... I was early (and still am) to school so I went to Walmart... I opened up the hood to find smoke rising from where the serpentine belt was... On closer inspection the smoke was coming from the A/C pulley area... I felt the belt and it was not hot... I let everything cool off and then drove to school and checked it out with the car running... The pulley is rotating, but it appears to have a slight wobble... I am assuming that the pulley bearings are shot? Or could it possibly be the clutch? :shrug: It was not smoking after driving the few miles to school, and during that time I never used the A/C or defroster. Also, when I turned the defroster on during the main trip to college, the engine seemed more strained under usage than ususal, so IDK...

Since a new unit must be $$$ (unless it is the clutch), I am just going to pull the A/C fuse and put a shortened belt on it (unless it is the clutch )... So is replacing the belt an easy job to do in the middle of winter, or should I just take it to a shop, and how much would this be?

On the other hand, changing the clutch does not look that bad, would I even need to take the motor mount or belt off to do this?

Also, I was hoping to be able to wait to replace my belt (if it is the clutch :laugh because the grooves in my waterpump pulley seem to be cracked, and I assume this is not normal? Are any junkyards open this time of year to get a better pulley for it? And those four bolts are NOT TTY right?

Ugg :blackeye:

EDIT: I assume one way of testing it would be to drive back without using the A/C or defroster and then see if it smoking when I get home... If it is not then I could turn on the defroster and see if it starts smoking... That should indicate if it is the pulley or clutch, right?

 

[AliasJerk]

my A/C bearings failed on my pre98 zetec.

it smelled like burning metal and made an aweful grinding noise.

 

[Lord Stanley]

my A/C bearings failed on my pre98 zetec.

it smelled like burning metal and made an aweful grinding noise.

Did you end up short-belting it and forgetting about it? I drove it home with no smoke... There was a very faint smell, but nothing close to before... It still looks like it wobbles a tad bit and there does seem to be a VERY faint grind coming from it... Now, if I remember right it is possible to change the belt without taking out the mount, right? Are there any special tools?

:blackeye: :blackeye:

EDIT: And I assume I should go OEM from Team Ford Parts? Heck, it is cheaper that what Auto Zone sells :laugh:

:troutslap: EDIT: One more thing, pulling the fuse will give me regular defrost as if the car did not have an A/C unit, right?

 

[Lord Stanley]

Also, I was hoping to be able to wait to replace my belt (if it is the clutch :laugh because the grooves in my waterpump pulley seem to be cracked, and I assume this is not normal? Are any junkyards open this time of year to get a better pulley for it? And those four bolts are NOT TTY right?

Please forgive my stupidity

 

[shaggist]

bad A/C compressor

bad A/C compressor

When you turn on your defroster, it energizes the A/C compressor pulley to turn the compressor as part of the defrosting sequence. If your compressor is frozen and won't turn, then the serpentine belt slips on the A/C pulley and generates smoke, smell, and heat. Try having a friend activate the defroster while you are looking under the hood. Before it is activated, the pulley should be free-wheeling. When it is activated, either the pulley turns the A/C compressor, or the compressor stops the pulley. If the pulley stops turning, it is most likely that your A/C compressor is locked up. Fixing this entails some expense. Good Luck.

 

[Tony2005]

..:troutslap: EDIT: One more thing, pulling the fuse will give me regular defrost as if the car did not have an A/C unit, right?

Yes, IIRC it is R3 and R4.

Edit.

The defrost will work (albeit slower) even without the A/C drying the air out....... you can turn off the A/c electricals by removing Relays 3 and 4 in the Power Distribution Box next to the battery.
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=8691&highlight=fusediagram
.

 

[Lord Stanley]

Yes, IIRC it is R3 and R4.

Yep, I just looked...

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When you turn on your defroster, it energizes the A/C compressor pulley to turn the compressor as part of the defrosting sequence. If your compressor is frozen and won't turn, then the serpentine belt slips on the A/C pulley and generates smoke, smell, and heat. Try having a friend activate the defroster while you are looking under the hood. Before it is activated, the pulley should be free-wheeling. When it is activated, either the pulley turns the A/C compressor, or the compressor stops the pulley. If the pulley stops turning, it is most likely that your A/C compressor is locked up. Fixing this entails some expense. Good Luck.

I also looked at this... I turned the car on and looked at how it ran with everything off... The pulley moved fine (with a slight shimmy)... I then turned the defroster on full blast, and everything looked EXACTLY the same... I only let it run for a few minutes but there was no sign of smoke...

So the belt was NOT hot when this happend yesterday or when I tried it today...

 

[FavoriteMystaque]

Remove the belt. See if the grooved part of the A/C pulley spins smoothly. If it does, the A/C clutch bearing is not seized. Try to move the outer part of the pulley, which is the A/C compressor clutch shaft plate. That should turn stiffly with drag from the pistons inside the compressor. If you find the compressor has seized, disable the A/C (unplug pressure switch at the accumulator so it will not engage in Defrost). You might "just" need the pulley parts, not the compressor.