G'day All,

I run an 85 760 GLE with a B28. I have an A/C system with out gas, and I am not planning on getting it re-gassed (it would have to be cleaned and prepared for the new style gas, and it isn't really necessary in my part of West Aus. any way). By my reckoning, the A/C drive belt is not connected to anything else, so I should be able to take it off with out any negative effect (and not have to spin the compressor around). Is this thinking correct?

Continuing on that line of thinking, is there anything stopping me taking the whole compressor out for good, and plugging the hoses to stop ingress of dirt anywhere?

On a separate issue, after poking around the engine, I noticed the alternator belts squeaking a bit, and a little loose. I attempted to tighten the belts, but have only made things worse. The bottom, 17mm bolt (pivot) is extremely tough to loosen. After only 2 or 3 turns the bolt become tougher to turn than what it was to loosen it. I stopped at that point due to lack of light, but it seems without loosening this bottom pivot bolt I can't adequately rotate the alternator.

Any tips or suggestions on how to loosen it?
Also, I am curious to hear peoples recommendations on the best spot to lever the alternator from while tightening - so far all I have worked out is directly between the engine block and the alternator at the side - this seems to put the force on the alternator shaft rather than the housing though.

removed my a/c belt over a year ago. i've had no problems. except for the a/c doesn't work very well anymore.lol

I'm in the same situation as you - in that my A/C has been disabled for the past 7 years. I too had thought of removing all A/C components from the engine-bay (resulting in more space to work). One reason I didn't remove the compressor or the belt, is that I feel the resultant load on the crank would be all from one direction - and not balanced by the pull of the compressor belt.

Whether this is a valid concern, I dont know. Would be interesting to know what others think..

Noel

Accessory Belt Tightening and Maintenance.

Belt Diagnosis. [Problem: Squeeling belts; how to set tension?] I'd be surprised if this wasn't simple belt squeal, but you can easily isolate the problem. Take a spray bottle of water filled with water. With the engine on fast idle, spray a stream at each belt separately. The world will all of a sudden get real nice and quiet when you've hit the problem belt(s). If that doesn't alter the noise you've been noticing then you can look elsewhere (like bearings in the water pump, alternator, power steering, etc.). Tightening the belts will normally eliminate the squealing, but you don't want to overtighten lest you shorten the life of the water pump and/or alternator shaft bearings. (PS. While you're in there with the bottle, shoot the base of each injector with water. If the engine stumbles at all then that's a sign that the injector seals need replacing.
[Editor's Note: see http://www.dayco.com for a discussion on the various kinds of belt noise and causes.] The spec calls for a 1/4" max deflection at the mid-point of the longest span, but a heavy thumb can often get 1/4" even with the belt overtightened. I prefer to run my belts not too taut because of this and consequently a tendency for belt squeal is the price I pay. You can eliminate this by keeping the belts in top shape:

replace at the first sign of fatigue (fraying, hardening, cracking)
de-glaze the belts and pulleys (with sandpaper and/or emery cloth)
check that all pulleys are aligned. Any belt deflection will only hasten belt wear, glazing and squealing. If they are misaligned, suspect your bushings.
power steering pump pulley misalignment is usually due to a worn steering pump bracket.



Drive Belt Change. [Tips from Ed/Bruce/JTCharger/Jay Simkin and others] Drive belts are changed by loosening the fixing nuts and the 10mm adjuster bolt, pivoting the accessory toward the crankshaft, and changing the belt. Use a little PBlaster dripped (not sprayed) onto these bolts to ease in removal and avoid rounding them off. If they are corroded (and they frequently are), use six-point sockets. Reinstall using a little antiseize. It is easiest to replace all three belts as a group.

The outer air conditioning compressor belt requires two fixing nuts on the two curved mounting arms (one in front and one in back) to be loosened. Use a flashight to see them. These can be done from above, or below with the car on ramps and the plastic belly pan removed for easy access. The rear bolt can be difficult to reach: it is right in the middle of everything. Don't confuse it with the inboard mounting bolt near the engine block. Loosening the 10mm adjuster bolt and the bottom pivot bolt (easiest from below) then allows the unit to swing up after loosening the tensioner bolt (anti-clockwise to loosen).
The middle alternator requires two nuts to be loosened (not removed) other than the adjusting tensioner bolt. One is at the back of the long top fixing bolt; the other is at the bottom in front. The tensioner bolt is beneath on the side. Turn the tensioner screw counter-clockwise to move the unit toward the engine and loosen the belt. You should check the three rubber alternator bushings when you replace this belt. They can be pressed out and replaced by hand.
The inner power steering pump belt requires that you loosen the 13mm lock nut at the front of the power steering pump bracket (just above the pulley) and loosen the tensioner bolt (anti-clockwise to loosen). You may also need to loosen the nut and bolt through the bottom of the pump (best reached from below). To get enough slack to remove the belt, remove the bolt that tightens the pump against the adjustment bracket. WIth this bolt present, the pump will not move freely through the entire adjustment range. You will need to replace the bolt after you put the new belt on. If the pulley is misaligned, see the Steering section for information about the pump bracket.
In the case of the compressor and power steering pulleys, you may need to lever the belt over the edge of the pulley to install it.
Belt Tension. [Tips: Steve Ringlee/Jay Simkin] When you adjust the belt tension, take a look at how the adjuster mechanism works before you go at it. Loosen the 13mm or 12mm lock nuts on the belt side of the mechanism (two in the case of the compressor). This unlocks the alternator or compressor and allows you to adjust tension with the long 10mm bolt parallel to the belt. This latter bolt is only used to position the alternator. Once you have set belt tension (3/16 to 5/16 inch or 5-10mm deflection) with the long bolt, lock the position with the 12 or 13mm bolt and back off a turn on the positioning bolt to unload it. Don't forget to lock the main nut/bolt or your belt tension will eventually fracture the adjusting bolt.