97 Grand Prix,Need to ByPass A/C

[95oldsVan]

My 97 GP has the 3100 V6.The compressor is screaming and on the way out.No the a/c is already broken and hasnt worked in a while,needed a coil and etc but without the clutch engaged,can hear the bearing making noise.

 

That being said, Im not seeing a shorter belt to bypass the compressor for the GP..Im seeing on the websites just a pulley kit to reuse the stock belt and remove the compressor until you get it fixed.

 

Thats allright here,but I did a bypass on my former 91 3.1 Lumina engine with a shorter belt and it worked fine.Got the belt from autozone.Does anyone know if I can use the same belt from the 3.1 Lumina engine without a/c to run this 3100 engine or will the belt not spin the waterpump pulley? The serpentine set up looks identical to what my 91 lumina 3.1 has,but I do see that there may not be a way to run the smaller belt,but wanted to see if anyones done it that way.

 

Sorry for the longish post.Thanks for any ideas.Wont be a few weeks until I can afford a compressor for this car...sucks!

 

 

[95oldsVan]

Well,I did some parts,pulley comparisons tonight and it does look like I may just be able to buy the shorter belt for 3.1 MPFI with no a/c option and use it on this 3100.

 

I have another 3.1 MPFI engine in the garage(came out of a 93 Grand prix) and everythings the same size as whats on the 3100 as far as the pulleys,accessories go...their locations are also identical it seems.

 

The 3.1 engine I have is torn down and is going to get put back together soon,so I was able to take the pulleys from that engine and match them to whats on the 3100 in the car.

 

Ill go ahead and buy the shorter belt for a 91 3.1 and see if it works..if not,then Ill opt for the bypass pulley kit they sell in the parts stores.

 

Im beginning to think that maybe the grandprixs of my year model didnt have a/c delete option,or is rare to not have one,and it came standard,so instead of the stores offering a shorter belt version no a/c size,they made a pulley kit to reuse the stock belt.

 

If this is the case,ill keep you all posted.Its only about 15 bucks or so for the shorter belt.The pulley kit is 36-40 bucks depending on where you get it,and youd have to discharge your a/c system and remove the compressor,possibly contaminate the lines and etc,which is what Im trying to avoid in the first place until I get a new compressor.

 

 

 

 

 

[89GP_SE]

Well,I did some parts,pulley comparisons tonight and it does look like I may just be able to buy the shorter belt for 3.1 MPFI with no a/c option and use it on this 3100.

 

I have another 3.1 MPFI engine in the garage(came out of a 93 Grand prix) and everythings the same size as whats on the 3100 as far as the pulleys,accessories go...their locations are also identical it seems.

 

The 3.1 engine I have is torn down and is going to get put back together soon,so I was able to take the pulleys from that engine and match them to whats on the 3100 in the car.

 

Ill go ahead and buy the shorter belt for a 91 3.1 and see if it works..if not,then Ill opt for the bypass pulley kit they sell in the parts stores.

 

Im beginning to think that maybe the grandprixs of my year model didnt have a/c delete option,or is rare to not have one,and it came standard,so instead of the stores offering a shorter belt version no a/c size,they made a pulley kit to reuse the stock belt.

 

If this is the case,ill keep you all posted.Its only about 15 bucks or so for the shorter belt.The pulley kit is 36-40 bucks depending on where you get it,and youd have to discharge your a/c system and remove the compressor,possibly contaminate the lines and etc,which is what Im trying to avoid in the first place until I get a new compressor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

after 1989 Pontiac grand prixs came standard with ac. So therefore you cannot get a grand prix with ac delete, all of them have ac

[95oldsVan]

Thanks for the info! I was thinking that was maybe the reason they didnt show the shorter belt,like say,the 91 lumina or so.Im gonna go pick up the shorter belt today and see if it works(should).Much cheaper,easier to install,than buying a/c delete pulley kit and opening up the a/c system which is never good to do.

[95oldsVan]

Update on the info...I bought a new shorter belt for the 3.1 with a/c delete BUT it will not spin the waterpump pulley.It just misses the pulley's edge which sucks.Doesnt mean i cant use it without trying something else...

 

That being said,IF its cheaper,Im going to try and locate a larger ps pulley such as the one off a 95 olds silo van w/ 3.8.Its slightly larger than whats on my GP now and would move the shorter belt over closer to the waterpump pulley.The shorter belt was 16 bucks..so Ill find out if I can locate a larger pulley for a good price.

 

If it becomes not cost effective or just as much to buy an a/c delete kit,then Ill take the belt back and get the a/c delete kit and cap off the a/c lines with something.Remove the a/c hose with compressor and cap it off at the drier.

 

I also found out why the shorter belt doesnt run the waterpump..the timing cover from the older 3.1 and the newer 3100 is a little different where they have the ps mounting holes for the pump.Its drilled in a different spot or cast a bit different.However at a glance they both look identical.Had to look closely to see the differences.

 

 

 

[95oldsVan]

Another update,cant find a larger pulley from any of the stores,gotta go GM.That being said,the pulley I need will probably be around 25-30 bucks,maybehigher, so Im probably better off just buying the a/c delete pulley kit for 36 bucks from advance.Autozone has it for about 40 bucks.

 

However,if i needed to be super cheap,I could ask around junk yards but isnt any good ones around here.id imagine a pulley would be 5 bucks or so from a yard.

 

I havent given up hope yet...I may try and swap the pulleys from my olds minivan onto the GP and see if it will work either way.However,the dang ps unit on the olds van is in the back of the engine,under the windshield cowl floor and across from the strut housing...not fun with so little room.Cant rock the engine forward enough without smashing the radiator and fan.

 

 

 

[95oldsVan]

Well,another GOOD update for this book for everyone!

 

I got the p/s unit out of the 95 olds van and took the larger pulley off and installed into the GP p/s pump along with the shorter belt.Its spinning the water pump!It moved the belt over just enough to spin it at all engine speeds.

 

Now just have to put the smaller GP p/s pulley onto the vans p/s unit and reinstall....then put the belt back on...went easier that i thought today.Did have to take the pulley off on the bench because no room inside the Vans engine bay to use the puller tool.

 

Man,having the right tools rock at times.Its paying for itself over time.

 

 

The verdict is though,if you dont have a larger pulley to swap,and need to bypass the compressor on the 3100 engine,youll prob. have to resort to buying the delete kit for around 40 bucks.It reuses your stock belt.

 

Or,shadetree cheap fix,get a larger PS pulley off another vehicle from a boneyard,say a 95 olds van with the 3800 engine or similiar engine,steal it from a buddys car or what not, and/or buy the shorter belt for the older lumina 3.1 with no a/c.