a/c compressor
 

i was wondering if anyone has done or had any helpful hints on how to remove the lines on the back of the compressor w/o taking off the compressor i wanted to change out the o-rings cause my a/c has a leak.:confused:

3.8 1997 camaro

It is actually easier removing the compressor.

There is only like 4 bolts and then it will pull out far enough where you can get to the back.

Mine went bad a few days ago and I just pulled it out on Sunday. I am looking for an a/c delete or bypass pulley but they do not make one for the 97's.

Answer to the A/C bypass for a 3.8
 

Ok so after several different ideas reagarding doing this I finally did it over the weekend. I will post pictures later to show it can be done.

I pulled the A/C Compressor out of the car and then began to hunt for a bypass pulley.
There is literally hundreds of bypass pulleys for almost every car make and model.
They did not make one for the 3.8 Liter V6 Camaro and Firebirds from 96 and 97. They make one for the Grand Prix but that is a whole different configuration. They do make one for the V8 model for 96 and 97 however.....

I read in a post a while back that a 62" belt will fit fine. Well there is a few things to do when choosing this method.

First of all it is not exactly 62 inches so make sure you are asking for the correct belt when you buy it. I used Napa part number NBH 25-060605 at a price of $22.50. I beleive it was considered 61 and 1/8th inches. I say that because they had at least 6 between 60" and 62" and I bought them all and tried every one of them until I found the one that fit the best.
I had to take the bolt out of the right hand side of the alternator and that allowed the alt to shift over about a half inch or so. Then I was able to slip the belt over while pulling down on the belt tensioner pulley. It was easier to have it on the crank, power steering and alt and slip it over the water pump pulley because it is a smooth pulley.

Once it is on you will have just a tiny little rub between the belt tensioner pulley and the alternator housing. This is because the pulley is normally moved down a little further, this does not use as much tension. While the car was running I held a small file on the backside of the pulley until it shaved away just enough for the noise to quit. It was not even a measurable amount and since the pulley was turning away from the motor it made it easy to hold the file on the wheel.

So bottom line is that it was way cheaper than replacing the compressor new at $356.00 or reman at $210.00. Most commonly the clutch assembly goes bad requiring a special puller and a $55.00 replacement which would be tough inside the car without pulling the unit out. So for 22 bucks go get yourself a belt and bypass the idler pulley and a/c in one shot and not even take out the bad unit if you dont care about the weight. I did so I removed mine and not only gained access to my left bank of plugs and alot more room for other things and got rid of the 50 pounds as well. I will miss the A/C but then again it is a convertible.