I don't know if this is normal but I can hear the squeaking noise of my a/c coming on even after its been on for a while. I'm almost positive its that since i feel a lose of power when it squeaks. Anyone know what's up? Cheers, Todd
the squeek you are hearing is the belt. its either worn, old or loose. try tightening the tension on it first. if that doesnt fix it then replace it. and a little secret the aftermarket (non-factory subaru) belts dont fit exactly right and make a bunch more noise. either way new belts are only like 6-8 bucks. so no biggie.
Well... didn't think of that. Ill check when its sunny out. The serpentine belt right? How do I go about tightening if that's my solution? Anyone in east-atl that wants to help? Cheers
It is not a serpentine belt. I think it is only for the AC and maybe PS....or is it the AC and Alternator? I cant remember. Get either an OEM belt or a Gates replacement belt at Oreiley's. Those will be the only two that actually fit right.
The tensioner is right next to the compressor.This is what youre looking for IIRC theres a nut you have to break loose and then you can tighten the bolt. theres a plastic piece that the bolt threads through and also attaches to the pulley. Make sure it isnt broken. I was told that they break often when I bought my belts and sure enough it was.
Hope that isn't it, is it an expensive fix? Which of those bolts do you loosen? and how do you tighten it? My tightening a bolt? spring? Never done this before. Don't wanna mess this up.
the part itself is cheap ~$18 IIRC. its just kind of a pain to take apart and put back together. but still id say 30mins+ish to do
Make sure tightening the belt needs to be done. If your belt looks brittle or has cracks then go ahead and replace it. The plastic piece wasnt very expensive. You cant see the nut that has to be loosened in the picture. There might be two I cant remember. But they are there I assume to keep the bolt from loosening. Basically all you are doing after you loosen the nut(s), is tightening the long bolt that runs through that bracket in the picture. This in turn will move the pulley that is attatched to the plastic piece ( the one that breaks all the time). I cant remember if the bolt is reverse threaded or not. Just turn the bolt and check the tension on the belt. if it is getting loose then youre turning the wrong way unless you are replacing it then loose is good obviously.
^^^ lol yeah do that. the first time i noticed squeeling i opened the hood and the a/c belt was literally down to the tiniest thread still somehow spinning on there.
You all have been a great help. I don't trust myself to touch belts. I consider myself an average mechanic but have had no experience in belts at all. May take it to subaru and see if they could help me out. The thread on the belt appear to be healthy. May just be an aftermarket belt. I hear they don't fit as well as OEM. Off to subaru... next spark plug replacement day.
It takes like 5 minutes to change that belt. Post what part of town you live in and I am sure someone on here can help you out.
he's not kidding the bold you loosen is on the adjustable pulley that rides in that track. On the picture shown above, do not touch those two bolts. Look farther down and you'll see the pulley we're talking about, it's bolted to that slotted piece. Loosen that, then look for the long verticle bolt (just to the left of those two main bolts). Move that bolt up / down to adjust, then retighten the pulley you initially loosened. I think one bolt is 14mm, the other is 12mm. Should take less than 2 minutes - definitely not worth taking to the dealership (assuming that's the only problem), especially if you're worried about it being expensive.
I'm in east-atlanta near turner field. Ltd#'s post helps a lot. Still apprehensive... but if anyone is close i'd appreciate some help.
Shit, ok so. Found a few things this morning. First that piece you guys said breaks easy... yea, it's broken. Couldn't tighten the belt ultimately. Don't know what to do now. Noticed that when I turn on the A/C and that round part starts to spin, that it will stop all of a sudden, then start back up randomly, then turns off and back on. While this all is happening I can hear the belt chirp. Do I get that broken piece from autozone or Subaru and is it hard to replace? I bet it is just a pain in the @ss.
the round piece is doing exactly what its supposed to.... have you never owned a car or looked under the hood while the a/c is running? thats normal for ANY vehicle with a/c... as far as that piece goes it will be pretty cheap from autozone if they have it otherwise check the dealership, still shouldnt be too much. and its easy to replace
does it squeek, chirp or screeeeeech? for example...you hear it every time the a/c kicks in? Might be time for a new compressor. Mine was making this horrible screech sound before I replaced it.
matt mine did too, but it was just the belt. like i said its something about non-factory subaru belts. they dont fit just right and cause screeching. extreeeeeeemmmmeee screeeching. there is almost a 100% chance that the belt on your car when you bought it (assuming you bought it used) was not factory. especially if it was from a dealership of some sort. thy usually replace them and if it wasnt a subaru dealership then they more than likely hit up autozone
Ill just go ahead and get a subaru belt and change it myself. See what that does since it's so cheap.
Like I said previously Gate's Belt fit perfectly but they are almost as much as a factory belt. You can easily pick one up at oreiley's.
that plastic piece is really cheap. It prob isnt more than 15 bucks and the long bolt just threads into it.
Are they all plastic? I just took the compressor off my STi a few days ago and I could have sworn mine was metal...
So i've changed my oil, new filter... AND now NGK spark plugs. Belt has been tightened and the car is running great. (knock on wood) Now I need window tint and an exhaust.