Okay guys, I'm in a bit of a bind. My wife and I both have busy weekends planned and upon changing her oil today, I noticed a weird sound and some really nasty black stuff under the hood. Well, to make a long story short it was the the AC clutch. I think it is ready to have a complete meltdown. Now, nobody can get me parts to fix this until next week and my wife and 5 month old daughter are going to be traveling quite a bit this weekend. So, my only option is to get a shorter belt and bypass the AC compressor. Clearances should be okay, but I am a bit confused on length. I know that I can get out the measuring tape and measure it, but I was hoping someone already beat me to it because they had a similar problem or just wanted to bypass the AC for HP purposes. The vehicle is a '01 Mercury Mountaineer with a 5.0l engine. If you know the length of the belt I need or a really simple and accurate way to measure, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Shorter belt to bypass AC
- Thread starter medic
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Chances of finding a belt that will work are slim to none. Somebody is now building compressor replacement assemblies that are simply a bracket and idler pulley that bolt on directly where the compressor should be. Really pretty cheap best I rember from Oreily new parts flier a few months ago.
Bob
Bob
I guess I wasn't quite clear enough. This is only going to be a short term fix until I can get the AC clutch fixed. I cannot get parts until next week. The AC works fine, but is currently on non-stop because the clutch is shot. I am worried that it may seize up if I let my wife drive it too far. I only want to get through this weekend and I need to fix this by tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. I don't want to remove anything, just bypass it. With all of the belts out there, one has to fit. The tensioner will make up for a couple of inches either way.
Just for the record in case this happens to anyone else with a 2001 Mercury Mountaineer or equivlant (Explorer) with a 5.0L engine. The belt to use is a DAYCO POLY COG 5060835. It is exactly 10 inches shorter than the stock belt and works great. There is an area where the belt almost rubs. There is about .10" clearance, but it is at an idler pully and very close to the water pump pully so the belt shouldn't flop around there at all.
FWIW, the guy at the parts store agreed with alreadygone. He said I was very lucky to find a six rib belt that was 10 inches shorter.
You can probably reverse engineer a belt's vital dimensions from its part number. Then "invent" a belt the length you need and putz around with online parts sites to see if one is made.
The stock dayco part # is 5060935, so apparantly the 8/9 relate to length.
The stock dayco part # is 5060935, so apparantly the 8/9 relate to length.
5= Dayco serpentine belt id (Gates uses a K)
06 = number of ribs ( I've seen 10 rib belts )
0935 = length 93.5"
06 = number of ribs ( I've seen 10 rib belts )
0935 = length 93.5"
JHZR2
Staff member
how are you going to fix this??? If you can replace the clutch without opening the system, couldnt yolu just unbolt the clutch and use the same old belt???
Otherwise, I guess if you have to open the system up, doing it in the winter is the best time because of the humidity content of air, but do you have the ability to wash out the system, pull a decent vacuum for a good amount of time, and then fill it up right? Dont forget to replace the reciever/dryer...
JMH
Otherwise, I guess if you have to open the system up, doing it in the winter is the best time because of the humidity content of air, but do you have the ability to wash out the system, pull a decent vacuum for a good amount of time, and then fill it up right? Dont forget to replace the reciever/dryer...
JMH
The problem was that the clutch was partially engaging even when it wasn't supposed to. Instead of just not working, it worked its way up to engaged constantly and spitting out nasty black power (clutch material) from the back of the pulley. The clutch and the pulley are a single system, preventing me from just removing the clutch ands till using the pulley. It was also making some really terrible noises. I am hoping it is just the clutch, but compressor may also be related. The clutch and clutch coil are a simple fix. From the few items I have found on the net, this is a fairly common problem with many different makes of vehicles. The clutch will eventually have a complete melt down and some part of the system will seize up causing the belt to slip and soon after break. My wife and 5 month old daughter, starting last night, will be traveling about 300 miles over the weekend in this vehicle. I needed the vehicle and there was no way to fix it correctly by yesterday afternoon. So, my old school engineering took over and I had to find a way to make it work and to make the vehicle reliable. I couldn't take a chance of her stranded on the side of the road with no heat when the outside temperatures are 20 or less.
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I'd just try measuring it with a measuring take. Go to the parts store and get about 10 belts withing 1/2" of what you measured, and just keep trying them untill you narrow it down. Take back the ones you don't need.
I have to get od sized belts all the time when working on custom cars.
I have to get od sized belts all the time when working on custom cars.
I just did this, and it is easy to do, provided there is straight line clearance around the parts you need to keep in the loop. as Jake said, just take some string and measure the length you need (with adjuster/idler fully retracted, if applicaple). the actual belt will need to be a bit (1/2") larger to get around the pulleys. go to NAPA and tell them what length you need. as long as you have a belt tensioner/adjuster you can use any belt that is within about an inch of your ideal length.
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