Removal of factory Rear AC - Tips and Info

alexk243

KulAdventure
"Does anyone know if the crankshaft pulley has to be replaced/removed/disabled? Do I need to bypass the rear AC pump and use a new belt to avoid trouble up in the engine? I am finding conflicting information about this... some people seem to recommend it, some don't, and the terms for what needs to be done seem to change..."

From another post: "Then again, others have reported problems with the engine pulley that drives this compressor, in that it has been known to fail and cause show-stopping damage."


I'm also curious about this - Bueller? Anyone?
The trouble people are reporting is due to known premature failure in the double pulley harmonic balancer and not "up in the engine" from my understanding.

Most people replace the double pulley harmonic balancer (used for dual A/C) with a single pulley harmonic balancer as the double pulley one is prone to failure and the second pulley only drives the rear A/C compressor. The rear A/C compressor is on a belt of its own. so you dont need to "bypass" it, just disconnect it. From my experience you just remove the belt and replace the harmonic balancer with the single pulley type and most leave the rear A/C compressor in the engine, just not hooked up.

That being said, the compressor if in ideal condition should not have much draw on the engine if the clutch is not engaged. So continuing to run it with the rear A/C compressor attached, although not ideal, shouldn't hurt anything... just like driving the vehicle with the A/C off, but I would recommend replacing the harmonic balancer with the single pulley one. I can tell you first hand harmonic balancer break downs on the road are no fun.

I believe these are the reccomended harmonic balancers (what I used):

Single Pulley for one A/C compressor

Dual belt harmonic balancer for dual (rear) A/C compressors

Some people go with the cheaper Dayco or Dorman Harmonic Balancers, but there are reports of early failures on those. So for the small price difference go with the OE one.

If you plan to replace the harmonic balancer there are a bunch of write-ups on the process and is it somewhat in-depth.
Write-Up on my harmonic balancer replacement

Forum thread about harmonic balancer failure and repair
 
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drew502

Member
The trouble people are reporting is due to known premature failure in the double pulley harmonic balancer and not "up in the engine" from my understanding.

Most people replace the double pulley harmonic balancer (used for dual A/C) with a single pulley harmonic balancer as the double pulley one is prone to failure and the second pulley only drives the rear A/C compressor. The rear A/C compressor is on a belt of its own. so you dont need to "bypass" it, just disconnect it. From my experience you just remove the belt and replace the harmonic balancer with the single pulley type and most leave the rear A/C compressor in the engine, just not hooked up.

That being said, the compressor if in ideal condition should not have much draw on the engine if the clutch is not engaged. So continuing to run it with the rear A/C compressor attached, although not ideal, shouldn't hurt anything... just like driving the vehicle with the A/C off, but I would recommend replacing the harmonic balancer with the single pulley one. I can tell you first hand harmonic balancer break downs on the road are no fun.

I believe these are the reccomended harmonic balancers (what I used):

Single Pulley for one A/C compressor

Dual belt harmonic balancer for dual (rear) A/C compressors

Some people go with the cheaper Dayco or Dorman Harmonic Balancers, but there are reports of early failures on those. So for the small price difference go with the OE one.

If you plan to replace the harmonic balancer there are a bunch of write-ups on the process and is it somewhat in-depth.
Write-Up on my harmonic balancer replacement

Forum thread about harmonic balancer failure and repair
Are the single pulley harmonic balancers less prone to failure? How difficult would it be to completely remove the rear compressor?
 

alexk243

KulAdventure
Are the single pulley harmonic balancers less prone to failure? How difficult would it be to completely remove the rear compressor?
From my understanding they are less prone to failure if you get the good quality, single pulley one.

After cutting the lines and removing the belt I don't think it would be hard to remove. I plan to do it soon also, no reason to keep it in the engine bay that im aware of.

I'll take some pictures when I do it and report back.

KulAdventures.net
 
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Hellloooooo???
The dual belt crank pulley has a rubber inner shock core that can deteriorate over time or load. Supposedly dual belt pulleys were more prone to failure due to the added stress of the auxiliary roof AC. This pulley was redesigned sometime mid 2006 and has a different part number. I removed the compressor AC belt 8 months ago and no problem.
 

ScottWCO

Active member
Reviving an old thread...

I just took possession of a 2005 3500 with a Webasto rear A/C installed. Same looking evaporator in the inside rear, different condensor (an undermount). I know it's a Webasto; I suspect it's the Vancouver model.

I intend to remove this whole system sometime in the near future. Most of it will be easy enough, but it's the compressor in the engine compartment that I'm most worried about, and the double-pulley harmonic balancer.

I've been advised by someone who I trust that I shouldn't bother trying to extract the double-pulley balancer and replace it with a single-pulley model, that it would be best to just get the belt off to the second compressor, and leave the balancer where it is. I expect it's a "more trouble than it's worth" sort of situation in his eyes.

As an aside, is there a market for these systems, used? I'd much rather sell it to someone who'd be inclined to make use of it than just chuck it in the bin, and if I can recoup a bit of the funds I've put into purchasing the van, all the better. Any idea how much these used systems generally fetch? And curious, how much were they new?
 

ScottWCO

Active member
So, a month and a half later, I've got this sucker out. Wasn't the worst task.

But now I'm faced with a quandary - the mounting plate for the secondary compressor. I'm told it may have replaced the stock A/C compressor mounting plate, which means to pull this one out I'd need to pull the stock compressor (which is busted anyway and I have a used unit to go in) and source a stock plate to go in.

Has anyone who's removed this gear run into this issue?
 

mcbs

08 Dodge Sprinter 170 Pass Van (Rear AC Delete)
Just bought a 08 with 96k miles on it and pulling my rear AC unit - Curious for all of you out there - did anyone end up replacing the secondary compressor with an alternator? What all went into it? Some people have suggested it should fit with the same belt size for the compressor.
 

asaraha

singer, saver of seeds, maker of beauty
I've been advised by someone who I trust that I shouldn't bother trying to extract the double-pulley balancer and replace it with a single-pulley model, that it would be best to just get the belt off to the second compressor, and leave the balancer where it is. I expect it's a "more trouble than it's worth" sort of situation in his eyes.
Reviving an even older thread… (I was part of this discussion in 2018, just randomly revisiting it)

And holy sh!t, now I wish I had read and understood what some folks were saying about the double pulley mechanism. I’m curious, did you replace yours with the single? I never did, but two years ago my harmonic balancer bolt sheared off while driving and blasted through my radiator. Possibly connected? (I don’t do my own maintenance, except oil changes, so only sort of know my way around the engine)
 

ScottWCO

Active member
And holy sh!t, now I wish I had read and understood what some folks were saying about the double pulley mechanism. I’m curious, did you replace yours with the single? I never did, but two years ago my harmonic balancer bolt sheared off while driving and blasted through my radiator. Possibly connected? (I don’t do my own maintenance, except oil changes, so only sort of know my way around the engine)
No, I've left the double-pulley balancer in place. There's no need to swap it out, that's what I've been told, and it's been fine so far.
 

mcbs

08 Dodge Sprinter 170 Pass Van (Rear AC Delete)
No, I've left the double-pulley balancer in place. There's no need to swap it out, that's what I've been told, and it's been fine so far.
When you say double-pulley balancer do you all mean that small wheel the belt runs on from the auxillary condenser? I have an 08 so maybe its a T1N thing.


Reviving an even older thread… (I was part of this discussion in 2018, just randomly revisiting it)

And holy sh!t, now I wish I had read and understood what some folks were saying about the double pulley mechanism. I’m curious, did you replace yours with the single? I never did, but two years ago my harmonic balancer bolt sheared off while driving and blasted through my radiator. Possibly connected? (I don’t do my own maintenance, except oil changes, so only sort of know my way around the engine)
And WOAH - how did that happen?
 

asaraha

singer, saver of seeds, maker of beauty
And WOAH - how did that happen?
Honestly couldn’t tell you how – the harmonic balancer bolt just sheared off one day while driving, and ricocheted through the engine, smashing open the radiator (which gushed its contents out). I was probably straining the engine a little bit at the time, as I was towing a trailer, and going on a long but steady incline in 85° weather, so mayhap that helped cause the fault.

I was lucky my mechanic was able to get the other, remaining end of the bolt out without too much effort, but it did mean replacing the radiator and a few other things that got damaged when it happened.
 

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