Hello all again. Been gone for a while with rl stuff, but back on track again. woot!

Ok, now for the question.

I have a '89 SSE with a non-working a/c system. Don't want to put big bucks in getting it working again. One of the things I was thinking of is replacing the belt so it doesn't go around the a/c pully to maybe increase the HP or help it run better.. Now on the "Accessory Belt Routing" label on the car it shows two types of belts, one for a/c and one without. The problem is that in Canada this car only came with a/c so no one, not even my local GM dealer has a part number for the other belt size. I was told a/c was only an option in the US.

So, now does anyone know what the belt size would be if it'* not looped around the a/c pully and would it help the car run better etc.

Thanks for you time all.

On a 92-94 Series I NA, a 73 inch belt will be the right length to bypass the AC compressor. I don't know what is different on a pre-92, so don't assume the length is correct for you.

Take a piece of string, loop it around all the pullies except the A/C compressor and measure the length of the string. Once you have that, any knowledgeable auto parts store should be able to match that length to a part number.

String, now why didn't I think of that. I guess we need to think the easy way of things sometimes. lol But any comments if bypassing the a/c will increase MPG/HP or anything? Just wondering if it'* worth going that route, though you would think the a/c compressor would have some kind of load on the whole system.

Some HP will be gained. But your defroster will be useless.

hmm, well then I guess it stays on. Guess it'* time to mod out the intake then, need something to do on the car.

Yeah, but if the A/C is non functional to boot, wouldn't the defroster be useless anyway?




This is a relevant topic for me, I've always tossed around the idea of a shorter belt to circumvent my busted A/C...

Oh, well, yeah, I meant shorter belt vs fixing the AC.

I don't think that the Defroster will be completely useless. It will still do the job it was intended to do(i.e. Defrost/Melt the Snow/Ice off of the Windshield). The only thing it might be deficient in is keeping the interior glass from fogging up. For which you should keep a cloth by your side for those occasions.

Ok, now I'm at a loss here. Why would the a/c compressor have anything to do with the heater and having hot air for defrosting? Right now if I crank up the heat it blows nice and hot for the window to defrost, so kind of confused here though the wife say'* I'm easy to confuse. :?