9MM

Anyone run a non AC belt on there trucks with AC in the winter? Whenever I look at the belt diagram on my truck it shows the tensioner pulley as being ribbed but I remember my dads non AC 90 having a non ribbed pulley. Whats with that?

1990

Yes you can. I did because my a/c compressor bearing was bad.

But leave it on for the winter, helps keep the compressor from seizing. I believe it turns on when the defrost is on? Well at least i know chevy's do.

9MM

My AC doesn't work anyway so I couldn't care less if it seizes up I don't like AC anyway really.

So do I need to change the pulley on the tensioner or no?

98fargo

Have a look at the diagram, the side of the belt that runs on the idler will tell you if it needs to be ribbed or not. What do you think the advantage to bypassing the ac for the winter would be? Just curious.

Jim Lane

There is no advantage of disconnecting your AC drive belt in the winter unless it is broken, in fact it will be harder to clear your windows when the defroster is on, refrigerated air is used to dehumidify the air, ever notice how when you were at the drive-in movie and you were breathing hard the windows would fog? cold air clears them quicker than hot air.
Also the rotating seals of the compressor need to be used to keep them lubricated to prevent leaks or failure.


Notice the route the belt takes is different between running the compressor or not, there is no need to replace anything, just use the different belt and route it accordingly.

Where does it show being ribbed, just curious?





On the 6Bt engine every ancillary component is standard from driving a combine to a fire pump, the only accessory added was the AC compressor, by swapping the drive belt you will always have a proven working industrial/ agricultural engine.

I could not live without my air conditioner, I use it even during our freezing cold Southern California winters where it might dip below 60*.

Jim

BearKiller

I could be wrong, but I don't think the compressor kicks in when on DEFROST.

I am gonna check this out at the next convenience.

98fargo

The compressor should kick in on defrost

9MM

My AC does not even work so I'd much rather just disconnect it. And to run a longer more expensive belt when the AC doesn't even work is pointless when I would much rather open the windows in the summer.

Jim Lane

Aren't you lucky that you have the option of bypassing the compressor by replacing the belt, most other applications you would have to replace the compressor to get back on the road, the belt should not be that much more expensive, I think it was about $50.00 or so but I have a different alternator so I have a different one altogether.


I could bet your air is a lot nicer there where you are in BC than it is here in Los Angeles.

Jim

maybe368

You beat me to it Jim. Here on Oct. 16th we are looking at 99-100, as we have for a while. That is why I don't have too much sympathy for those short hot spells back east, We are still feeling the sunami of heat that we get here. AC is a must in most peoples books, although I personally like the heat ...Mark

9MM

Jim it is nice here this time of year during the day but we get up to 45C in the summer but I still just open the window.

We get some good heat here but I don't need or really want the AC.

98fargo

I think that changes with age! The older I get the more I appreciate my AC!

9MM

Probably yeah.

Jim Lane

Your body does got more intolerant to heat as you get older, add the fact if you have to take any meds only makes this worse.

I grew up in the 50's and 60's when air conditioning was an expensive luxury you could only get in a few makes of vehicles, When I was young back in the 60's our family always traveled alot in a camper during the summer when my dad got his vacation, We installed an under dash Frigidaire AC on the 62 Chevy Apache-30 after making 1 trip across the US and into Canada, we bought our first air conditioned truck in 1970 a C-30 Chevy Longbed to pull the new self contained camper.

I can still remember how miserable it was trying to sleep with the heat and high humidity of the middle states and being chased by tornado's in the flat states.

We took quite a few trips across the US to the East Coast in the years to come.

In our family after Brakes, Air Conditioning is the most important item to work in a vehicle.

On a typical 100+* day you will see us wearing light jackets to keep warm in my truck, my wife and daughter keep jackets or towels over their feet and keep whining "It's too cold"





The warmest I have been in my truck was several years ago when we went to Las Vegas, we stopped off in Baker CA. at A&W to get a drink and the temperature was 118*, opening the door to get out of the truck was like sticking your head into a blast furnace, despite the superheated temperatures the temperature gauge was still on normal and my transmission fan was ON.

Jim

93-331-29psi

I have a nasty squeak in the serpentine belt path somewhere, I believe it's the alternator and I was gonna run the non AC belt to test, but looking at the routing it would appear that the idler for non AC should be ribbed as the rib side of the belt will be in contact with the idler pulley. Can anyone confirm this?