2002 F150 A/C pulley siezed... now what?

So today my truck was running noisier than usual. By the time I got home it was really making some bad grinding noises. So I figured it was one of the pulleys. Put the wrench on the tensioner pulley to give the belt some slack and turned each one by hand. When I got to the A/C compressor, it was obviously the culprit, since I could hardly turn it by hand at all.

So what are my options? Can the pulley be removed from the A/C compressor without disconnecting it from the lines? I am guessing not.

And if I need a new A/C compressor I am guessing it means changing the A/C system completely over to the new stuff? Or maybe can I get a used A/C compressor and pulley from a junkyard? My A/C hasn't worked for the past couple years anyway so it's no big loss. I just need a pulley that works!

Help!

 

Since the refrigerant carries lubricant, you were on borrowed time. It was already on the new stuff, but changing the compressor will entail vacuuming the system anyway. I would say you could get by changing the pulley, but you may be due for a compressor by spring.

 

I think I came up with the best course of action... Get a new serpentine belt for a 2002 F150 V6 with no A/C. The belt can simply bypass the compressor that way.

Freaking thing didn't work anyway. I'll be getting a new truck soon... hopefully before it gets too hot.

 

They make kits to bypass the A/C...you may need one. The belt has to be exactly right or you risk further issues.

 

My Chilton's repair manual shows my drive belt routing schematic with and without A/C. So I think it will be fine. It just takes a shorter belt. I think its 79.5" instead of 98", or something like that.

 

My '01 just did that! Got a junkyard compressor and swapped it out.

 

Yes.... I just replaced mine last year as the bearing went bad... Its an easy fix..

The auto store(pep boys here) has free loaner tools as long as you buy the part there... You just need the puller...

Here is how the chevys are done.. I did mine on truck.. No need to break any refrigerant hoses..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URqFd3KkSRY

 

Whew! Finally got it on. It was tougher than I thought because the picture of the routing schematic in my Chilton's doesn't match my engine!!! Grrrrr.

Finally figured it out after jacking around with it for 2 hours. Now that I'm in the house, I was able to get online and found the ACTUAL schematic. DOH! Should have done that in the first place but I was bound and determined to figure it out. The belt cost $30 in parts and if I would have known what I was doing, it would have been a 15 minute job.

Here was the original setup, with A/C:



And here is the routing when bypassing the A/C:



image credit: autozone dot com

 

Thats odd that the idler can go on top or bottom of the belt...never remember seeing that.

 

Yeah.. The belt would be too loose I would think, and the reason why they sell a dummy a/c pulley...

 

Well, Mike...it's the idler...not the tensioner... just would just seem like the ribs running on the pulley would not be a good thing....assuming the smooth side was in contact before.

 

I kind of thought the same thing, Vic... I just looked on the Autozone and Advance Auto Parts websites, and they do show 2 styles of idle pulleys... one has ribs (for no A/C), one doesn't! So I guess I better get the one with ribs before I drive it too far and burn up the new belt!



image credit: advanceautoparts dot com

 

See.....sometimes I really can help...not just ban people....lol.

 

LOL!

thanks for the help Mike and Vic!

 

Okay, so I spent a good part of the day working on the truck and I have come off victorious!!! LOL

The pulley was no problem to change out, works great. Although I did have trouble finding the T45 to 3/8" socket that I needed to loosen the bolt.

The other thing I had been working on- before the pulley and belt problem arose- was giving the truck a much needed tune up. Now and then the engine had been "missing", especially in damp weather, and under acceleration. First thing I suspected was plug wires. So since it had been 100,000 miles or so since the last tuneup (which I had done at a dealership) I figured I'd give it a go.

Well 3 of the short wires were pretty easy to do. After I got them on, I started it... no change- still missing. The other 3 wires run back behind the engine, disappear, then reappear out the other side. I thought, what a pain in the neck! So I put that off for a few days. We had some nice weather today so I thought I'd try and finish up.

It was actually easier than I thought. I labeled the wires (since they disappear behind the engine it would be easy to get them mixed up) and then I left the clamps on the wire sets when I removed the old ones. So I was able to lay the set of 3 old next to the set of 3 new... offset each one the right amount, and then transfer the clips over so that they would be exactly the same. (they mount onto posts in predetermined locations.) Then I pulled the whole loom around the back of the engine without too much trouble.

Most plugs I took out were gapped at about .065... the worst of the plugs were gapped at about .070. (.054 is spec for these plugs) For having that many miles on them since the last change, all the insulators were very clean... just had a very light brown color. 3 of the plugs on the passenger side seemed to have worn the ground electrode a little bit where the spark was jumping, as it was noticeably thinner in that one spot. I didn't notice that on the opposite side of the engine, which was odd.

After getting everything hooked back up, I started the engine... no improvement. So I assumed it was a bad ignition coil. So my repair manual tells how to check the primary and secondary resistance of the coil to determine if it needs to be replaced. The primary resistance checked out within specs... but when I checked the secondary resistance, one pair of cylinders read 157 K-ohms when the specified range was supposed to be 6.5 to 11.5 K-ohms. (the other pairs checked out at 10.3 K-ohms). So it was just a matter of unbolting the coil and swapping it out. Super easy.

Started right up and purrs like a kitten. A kitten with 257,000 miles, that is. I'll be interested to see if it will go back to getting 18 to 19 mpg again. That would be great!

A few weeks ago I also had to change out the blower motor... the fan had quit right during that cold snap, so for a couple weeks I about froze to death mornings/evenings driving an hour to work and back. Real pain in the neck to get at that blower... have to stand on your head and can hardly reach the back bolts with just one hand. But at least I did it all myself and probably saved a lot of labor.

I wonder what the labor for all that would have been if I would have taken it to the shop? I'd like to know so that I can let the wife know how much I'm authorized to spend on myself. LOL

 

Make sure those are dealership labor prices should I buy stock in the local tool store