A/C Delete/Bypass

[Marble]

So I have been throwing belts like crazy lately. I'm talking less than 100 miles or maybe even 10 and the belt just shreds. ALways on the front portion of the belt. Dented my hood too. I'm using the green belts 122.3" for the KB 2.6. Everything is alligned. AED used a lazer to make it right when they did the 8 rib conversion. I went underneath and checked it all out and all is good with alignement. I've got the thumper tensioner and I never have any belt slip.

So today I start the car up and I can hear this clicking/slapping noise coming from the motor and I go to inspect. I had heard it before recently but it stopped after just 30 seconds or so of warm up.

Well today it did not stop and it has continued. I isolated the slap to the belt actually popping up and down on the AC pulley. It was almost rythmic but not always. I could see the belt pop up and down on the pulley 1/4" or so. It seems to be more to one side of the belt also.

If I turn the AC on, I can see the compressor engage and the slapping does not change. No better. no worse.

I have a spare AC compressor that I could just swap out. But I was thinking about it and I never use the AC. It's so rare. So I'm thinking about deleting it all together. I found a Ford Racing delete pulley but it is only a 6 RIB.

Anybody have an 8 rib AC delete pulley? I need alittle direction. I've spent $200 in belts since I got the car back and my track day was cut short the other day with another broken belt.

 

[deebo05]

what balancer are you using?

I had a issue with a customers car when he went 8 rib using a innovators west balancer was doing the same thing you are describing. Turns out the balancer was machined wrong (needed .020 taken off the hub).

It was hard to tell just looking at it but it was about half a rib off.

 

[NUTCASE]

I am not familiar with KB belt routing, but is a shorter belt completely out of the question?

P.S. I have run the ribbed side of a belt along a non ribbed idler pulley for years on other cars. One of them it was around the water pump and all was fine.

 

[Marble]

what balancer are you using?

I had a issue with a customers car when he went 8 rib using a innovators west balancer was doing the same thing you are describing. Turns out the balancer was machined wrong (needed .020 taken off the hub).

It was hard to tell just looking at it but it was about half a rib off.

It's a Ford piece of some type. Sactown had it on his car for quite some time and it didn't cause issues. So I don't know...

When I first got the car back from AED there was no issue like there is now. It seems to have developed more recently.

 

[Marble]

I am not familiar with KB belt routing, but is a shorter belt completely out of the question?

P.S. I have run the ribbed side of a belt along a non ribbed idler pulley for years on other cars. One of them it was around the water pump and all was fine.

I believe it is the shortest I can go. The KB kit comes with an adjustable idler pulley so when I go from 13psi to 19 I just move the idler.

I never had belt issues before and I was running 15-16 psi on a 6 rib belt.

 

[NUTCASE]

By short belt I meant removing the AC compressor and using an alternate belt routing. I have done this on a couple of cars and it worked long term. This is why I mentioned running the ribbed side of a belt over a non ribbed pulley.

Just make sure your accessories all spin the same direction when you are done. Idlers can spin backwards if necessary.

 

[Marble]

I was looking at it and couldn't imagine another routing, not to say it isn't possible.

The make a bypass pulley for the AC, but it's in a 6 rib and I need an 8...

I'll give anything a shot if it makes sense and works lol.