ok week back i noticed cranking slower and horrible squaking noise, so replaced batteries, this morning wouldn't start it was dragging hard, very slow turn over, and when boosted and started read no charge, replaced alternator , tried starting it with belt off fired up awesome, put belt on its dragging and barely starts, is itm my starter, and the load it cant handle anymore.? one battery got real hot when turning it over painfully. Thank you in advance

 

Sounds to me like something is dragging bad on the belt. I saw a alternator one time lock up and the motor wouldnt turn over.


I had an ac compressor clutch go bad one time on my 95 Ram 360 and it caused serious drag on the motor. Also put enough tension on the belt to eat my water pump. I was on the highway traveling and noticed it was down on power and going thru the gasoline faster then normal. Barely got home with it.

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Thanks, yeah that was my other thought,alternator is replaced but ac could be doing it as it fired up perfect with belt off but i contuing getting no charge on guage too with new alternator and it wont turn quick enough to start, how do i see if ac or something is dragging can i just hand spin the pullies if they run free im good i guess ill pop belt off and check tomorow

 

Yes hand spin anything that the belt turns..............I left to go home on a 400 mile trip. I heard a noise on start up and all was sounding fine. Got 60 miles into the trip and the AC stopped working. Opened windows and as I continued on I noticed something wasnt right. Something in the clutch went south on the ac.


You should notice it by turning with your hand. That starter is strong and if its dragging you will have problems turning with your hand. It may be something locked up and the belt is sliding..............

I supposed one of your battery connections could be bad not allowing enough to give the starter its full requirement of juice. Might double check all those connections.

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will do ill clean the jesus out of it all tomoro and double check all the pulleys thanks a million hate thinking of doing the starter knuckle buster i know

 

Yep, sounds to me too like the a/c compressor seized. Look for a line of rust that may have sprayed out around any bearing that may have seized, then go ahead and take that belt back off and give everything a spin.

 

Thank you all ill get at it is there a belt to bypass ac until I get a new compressor.

 

I am new to the Cummins world but on my 95 Ram with the 360 you could get a different idler pulley and swap out and put a non ac belt on it and bypass the ac compressor. I do not know if thats possible with the Cummins. I havent ever seen a Cummins Dodge with no AC............


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Ok thanks ill do some research my luck you can't. I'm guessing a compressor is 1000 bucks that's the magic number everytime I have issues lol. Thanks again.

 

A compressor outghta be about $250 and if you have just a little bit of skills, you can find instructions and tools to change it yourself. Whoever does it, make sure that any time the system gets opened it gets a new dryer/filter.

And I believe you can get a shorter belt and wrap it different and just run without it for a time. You might wanna hurry and do this part. It'll let you keep driving it till payday or a free evening or Saturday. If that compressor comes apart, it will fill your system with scrap metal and that's when things really get expensive.

 

Thanks no intentions of driving it like that won't even start. Great info and knowledge as always

 

ac compressor was toast, thanks all just waiting on new one from napa 385$ thanks all once again

 

Expensive fix but glad to know you have figured out the problem!


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