914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
12/15/15 10:48 a.m.

My neighbor Dave has a 1998 Civic that his daughter drives. The AC compressor froze up and tossed the serpentine belt. The car only has to live through the winter and then she buys something newer.

Can you buy a Civic without air conditioning, and if you do, is there an idler pulley that replaces the compressor? I looked around but couldn't find anything.

Appreciate your help.

Dan

mainlandboy
mainlandboy Reader
12/15/15 10:57 a.m.

Is the compressor pulley locked up too, or just the internals of the compressor? If it's just the internals, you should be able to just replace the belt and pull the fuse for the AC compressor clutch so that it can't engage the compressor.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
12/15/15 10:58 a.m.

A/C on the '88's was dealer installed. IIRC, the belt runs the compressor only, no? There is a separate belt for the alternator. At least I think that's the way it is on the '88 CRX si. May be different on the cars with power steering. I'd just get a shorter belt.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
12/15/15 12:05 p.m.

A quick peek and it appears to be one belt running everything.

Sonic
Sonic SuperDork
12/15/15 12:24 p.m.

Yup, you can just take off the A/C belt, it only drives that one thing. The alternator and power steering have their own belts, and the water pump is run off of the timing belt. Just put a knife in there and cut the A/C belt off and go on with your day.

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic UltimaDork
12/15/15 12:35 p.m.

Google seems to indicate it's three belts, AC, Alt, PS. Possible one coming off popped off the other two.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
12/15/15 12:50 p.m.
914Driver wrote: A quick peek and it appears to be one belt running everything.

Not on an '88.

EDIT - I READ THE ORIGINAL POST INCORRECTLY AS 1988 CIVIC INSTEAD OF 1998. sorry.

LopRacer
LopRacer Dork
12/15/15 1:33 p.m.

Just checked under the hood of my 2000 Civic (same generation the 1996-2000) and it has three separate belts AC, PS and Alt. Just junk the AC belt and go on your merry way til summer. If it slung the belt and took the other two with it, which it easily could have, just replace the PS and Alt belts and continue on your way.

Robbie
Robbie SuperDork
12/15/15 1:36 p.m.

I'm surprised there isn't a ton of info out on the web for running an 'AC Delete' belt that is just shorter and skips the compressor pulley.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
12/15/15 1:45 p.m.

Three separate belts. Just cut the compressor belt as previously suggested.

clutchsmoke
clutchsmoke SuperDork
12/15/15 2:09 p.m.

Yeah just cut it and boom done.

92dxman
92dxman Dork
12/16/15 2:55 p.m.

What everyone has said about cutting the belt and moving on.

bravenrace
bravenrace MegaDork
12/16/15 3:27 p.m.

Everybody else is wrong. I say cut the belt!

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