Three days later, 6/23/13, I was using the AC and the fan belt broke. At the time the car had about 70,000 miles on it so it did not seem unreasonable that the belt might break even though it happened so soon after the compressor was replaced.
In late November of 2013, the alternator had to be replaced. Soon after I noticed some noises that sounded like it could be related to the belt or equipment attached to it. I asked another mechanic about it that I also use and he said it sounded like it might be the bearings in the alternator. This was around May of this year. I let it go and then on July 12, the AC compressor I had purchased in June 2013 failed. Unfortunately the warranty was for only one year.
I went back to the mechanic who installed it last year and he told me the AC clutch had failed. I asked why and he was vague. I agreed to get a new compressor which I purchased through them. After that was installed I noticed there was a noise again at the belt when the AC was turned on and it felt like it was slipping and the engine would surge a little. I brought it back and he told me the alternator was bad but that it was under warranty so he would replace it and charge labor only. When he was checking the alternator he noticed the belt was damaged and he replaced it. This is the same belt he replaced about a year ago.
Of course my question are several.
Could a faulty compressor installation last year cause the belt to break by misalignment?
Could it also have caused damage to the original alternator several months later?
Could the belt have been mis-installed which caused the alternator to fail and ultimately the AC clutch?
Could the damaged alternator or mis-aligned belt cause the AC clutch to fail?
Can I have the failed compressor tested for what caused the problem?
I am going to pick up the car with the new alternator today and would like to know what you think.
Thanks
SPONSORED LINKS
Saturday, July 26th, 2014 AT 10:18 AM
