pulley problem

[shooter513]

my 95 gmq started making noise from the belt i pulled over and looked. it was making a loud grind noise and sparking a little. it seemed to be coming from the air conditioner pulley i believe. it was making a slight noise prior to this but i wasn,t sure what to do so i used some belt dressing hoping to fix it. but obvously it is a bigger issue. if anyone has any idea of what it could be i would appreciate any help.

[79lincolnlover]

Check the belts and hoses for obvious signs of wear...Lots of cracks in the rubber means they are tired.

[tim marks]

grinding and sparking...thats never good. it sounds like your ac clutches have given up the ghost.

[shooter513]

i went last night to pick it up from where i parked it. the noise and sparks seemed to calm down. do you think i should replace the pulley and the pulley clutch or just the clutch?

[tim marks]

if its the compressor clutch its pretty much just as easy and cost effective to replace the compressor. shop around and you should be able to find a good compressor cheap. you need some special tools to switch out the clutch in most cases, which im assuming you dont have. also, the clutch is usually not all that much cheaper than a whole compressor when all is said and done.....

just my two cents.

[TomO]

It might be the bearings in your A/C compressor or bearings in the smog pump, if you have one.

I had a similar experience with the noise and sparks -- soon afterward, the smog pump completely locked up, rendering the car non-drivable. Solution was a new smog pump.

[ogre]

+1 for repalcing the whole AC compressor if you are for sure that is where the issue is. alot easier than trying to fix your old compressor.