Ok so about two weeks ago I started to hear this chatty-clunky sound coming from the timing chain (so i THOUGHT).

It sounded like metal-on-metal. But then, about 3 days ago (saturday) this TERRIBLE smell and noticed smoke coming from under my hood and i said "well maybe its oil, i havent checked it in a while"....Nope the smoke ws coming from the very bottom but i couldnt pin point. So as i sat pulled over at a home depot, i looked it up on google and it led to a thread on here that suggested it was the accessory belt.

One of the threads said that i could test the pulleys (idler, alty, ac etc) by detaching the belt and seeing which one spins the easiest. Well i tried to do that today but could not find my 10mm for MY LIFE. So i drove to the store (knowing good and well that i would just barely make it there and back).

When i got back of course the belt was smoking but now i am MORE THAN CERTAIN the smoke as coming from [the area of] the AC Compressor. But now im not certain its just some pulley or something. For me (unlike some of the threads ive read), the noise and smoke and stuff occurs whether the ac is on or not. Could it be the unit itself? THe Clutch? Or just some pulley?

Qucik help is greatly appreciated because im relegated to walking because of this........!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Have you looked while its running? With AC and defrost off, is the AC pump still pumping, or just the outer pulley rim spinning. Is the belt even spinning? The crank pulley may have separated. Any lights in the guage cluster on?

Your not giving us any info, and without seeing we cant tell you whats wrong. Look at it running, remove the belt, and check everything.

 

Maybe the belt tensioner pulley has seized?

 

I dont know how to tell if it is pumping or not...i do know that it has not worked at all this summer.

With the car on i can see the outer ac pulley spinning NOTE: the first time i watched (while i was pulled over at home depot) it was spinning irregularly.

The is spinning as far as i can tell (i.e. the alternator is working)

there are no lights on the cluster, except CEL but that has been on for months (Evap canister)

NOTE: All of the smoke was definitely coming from the ac compressor/ the belt in that area.

Way to check? What to look for?



Thanks for the replies!!

G. Wilson

 

I have the same issue. Well with the exception of the metal to metal noise. Mine sounds like if I got a super charger installed. When I give it gas the sound (whine) gets louder respectively and smokes comes from the AC/Alternator area.

The strange thing is that this only happens when I drive in the rain.

I think my AC pulley is going?

 

Yea you are describing the same sound as me (Sounds like my Regal did). I just looked at this thread and i think this will be my solution for now>>> Also considering going down to the Pull-A-Part and just getting a compressor......

And it first started for me right after i was driving in the rain...i wonder if they are correlated.....ac compressor hydrolock???

SN:but for me i dont think i have any "cold-shtuff" anyway so yea......

 

OMG! I was (am) thinking the same thing about the hydrolock! And I was cursing at my Ingen CAI. lol

My current fix for all this is .. well, not driving in the rain.

 

1 of two possiblities. Fragged pump with clutch sticking, or bad ac clutch bearing. If the inner part spins with the AC and defrost off, its the pump+clutch. If the inner is not spinning, its the bearing.

 

Thank you!

This makes more sense. Does anyone have a picture of this AC clutch bearing?

Edit: Found it.

 

ok new problem:

Idler pulley bolt will not budge...been working at it since 9am.....advice.....i dont have money to take it to a shop

 

Loosen the nut in the middle of the "wheel" first.

 

That's the one I'm talking about.....won't move at all...tried from top, bottom, double wrenched all that jazz

 

is there any way to skip loosening the idler pulley (wheel) and just loosen the tensioner. I really need help with this because i really need my car to work....

 

I wouldn't do it. You must take off the bolt on the wheel first.

 

Try putting a led pipe over the wrench for leverage?

 

Try harder. If you don't loosen it first, you will break the tensioner. lefty loosey, righty tighty.

 

New Problem!!!

I used the bel "060355" as was suggested in another thread.......it is WAY too short...like there is no way i will get this over the tensioner pulley.....is there anyone with recent experince doing an AC delete that can help?