Ok here is where I am at with my no A/C Problem...

Coming home from Syracuse,NY Sunday I lost the A/C and "assumed" it was the ever failing evaporator core again as its been replaced twice since I have owned the truck.I am in the midst of cleaning and detailing today so I figured before I begin to clean down the motor I would look this A/C issue over a little more.The Compressor clutch was blowing the fuse in the PDC center and I wanted to make sure it had zero to do with my Electric fan assembly.

Well after checking the wiring,calling Flex-A-Lite and making sure I had all the wires in place correctly I found that the clutch itself is bad.I make the call to our local resident A/C guru and he can look at it until Monday at the earliest,which would be OK,except for this weekends All Truck Nationals show.So I ask him since I know the A/C clutch is beyond being safe to drive what my options are and he tells me to go to the shorter Non-A/C belt and bypass the a/c for the time being.

I did that today and I want to know if anyone has done this,leaving the A/C compressor in place. and if they have had any issue with it.Charging system is OK and the belt clears at idle and running it up in the rpm band in the driveway,but,I have yet to wheel it down the street.I am concerned that when rerouting the belt it goes from the crank pulley,around the tensioner pulley(riding on the belts grooves,where this pulley is not grooved)and then with its back on the water pump pulley to the alternator.That means when the belt goes from the crank pulley to the alternator there are no other grooved pulleys to help the belt stay in its proper place.I am also curious if the Non-A/C trucks utilize a different grooved tensioner pulley or not.

Its the first A/C compressor clutch I have ever lost in three trucks and logging over 600,000 miles with them.I am not complaining but I would like to see if anyone has run their rides like this until a shop date could be made?...Any Insight is appreciated.......Andy

 

By clutch I assume you mean more than the coil. I just priced the various parts for the Mommy van and a clutch was not cheap. My book shows a grooved idler for no A/C. Running a smooth pulley on the grooved side of the belt may get you there, but not home.