oldmots

Awhile back, I reported the my AC would not kick in at high outdoor temps until the car had traveled some distance. I took it to the Dealer and they worked on the AC for two days, and told me they couldn't find the problem and maybe I needed a new compressor (hundreds of dollars spent).

A couple weeks ago, I noticed an oil leak on the front of the engine. I had known it was there for some time but it recently was getting worse and I finally dug into it. It turns out that the oil cooler gasket had failed and was dumping oil right on top of the belt and AC compressor pulley. I replaced the gasket and the power steering reservoir o-ring at the same time. I had an idea that all this oil may have saturated the belt and allowed it to slide on the AC pulley with no sound alerting me to it. I replaced the belt and tensioner and cleaned all the pulleys with Brakleen and Terry towels. This was the problem all along, when it was hot outside, the belt loosened a little and then slipped on the pulley until it finally grabbed and the AC would start working. Just thought this should be in the data base. I also had an unexplained battery failure that was due to the alternator pulley sliding at the same time. Lesson learned, if you see oil where it's not supposed to be, get on it!