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- - Real squeaky a/c pully (https://www.fordforum.com/forum/ford-crown-victoria-27/real-squeaky-c-pully-39474/)

Real squeaky a/c pully

'11 Crown Vic 4.6 here and it seems I've got a real squeaky a/c compressor pulley. I don't have a lot of experience with this car but the noise changes noticeably when the comp clutch kicks in and out, and a close listen seems to locate the sound right at that pulley. The sound is always there whether the a/c def is on or not.

What needs to be replaced? The entire clutch assembly, or possibly just the pulley?

Unless the compressor is dragging, generally you can just replace the clutch assembly.. what does the air gap measure?

Thanks Haya. Sorry it took a while to get back here but yes air gap was gonna be the first thing I looked at on the clutch assembly. Someone else suggested it might be the belt so I changed it out right before getting into the clutch and lo and behold problem solved. Almost couldn't believe it because i had done a good job of really locating the sound as coming from the compressor pulley. but I guess even when it's the belt it's gonna be coming from a stress point, which would be a pulley.

What makes a belt squeak like that anyway? I guess something that gets on it? Is there any way to clean it so the squeaking stops? Belt looks fine and not a single crack in it. Or can the squeak be caused by an internal breakdown in the belt somewhere?

...now on to the plug that blew out this weekend in cylinder 4. the one that's in the back and so easy to get to. I'll start that in another thread though.

Usually when a belt squeaks it’s because the rubber is drying out.
A quick way to diagnose a belt issue over hard parts is,, ‘carefully’ give the belt running surfaces a lite shot of WD40 with the engine running.. If the squeak disappears instantly, the belt is the likely cause. WD will quickly disipate and dry. Never put any belt ease etc on serpentine belts.
Some folks will remove belt and install it in revere rotation. Sometimes it works, but if the belt is aged and dried a bit, any correction will be short lived..