Hello all,

My wife reported awful squealing under the hood, and yep, it's the belts most probably off-center due to worn bushings. I've done this before, but could never get at the bushings for the AC pump; it's just too involved to get a wrench in where it's supposed to go. So I'd change the power steering and alternator bushings and call it good, and usually it was. This time, I want to do the whole hog. Any advice how to get at all the AC mounting bushings? The Bentley book and Haynes manual don't go that deep.

 

I just pulled off the belts, and they all had cracks inside the teeth, so it's good I got into it at this point. The alternator is going to be a challenge, but not as much as the A/C compressor. Question: because the A/C compressor is mounted with 3 bushings, it should be more stable, so maybe it'd be OK to leave it alone for now? I bought a full complement of bushings though, seems a waste to not use all of them...

 

OK, the alternator was not a problem. Now, I'm stumped. I can't remember how the power steering pump mounted above the A/C compressor. Do the flanges on the bushings face outwards? The way it looks to me, it seems that both should have the flanges facing toward the front of the car, but that doesn't make sense, because then you could pull the whole assembly forward; there are no flanges to stop you. Is the rear mount supposed to have a big washer there to retain everything? If so, mine is missing, and was before I started this project. Ugh, back to the grind...

EDIT: Never mind, found a picture that shows the bushings in their proper configuration, with the bushing flanges on the outsides. Carry on...

 

Since nobody has answered, I'll finish this up. I got everything done, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought, but that doesn't mean it was easy. Just a matter of getting into the best position with the wrenches and start cranking. Removing the MAF sensor was the key to getting at the hidden tension holding nut on the inside-top of the A/C compressor. The bushings for the A/C compressor were also the most challenging; I had to go from underneath the car, and the bolt holding the rear bushing couldn't be gotten at from any angle with a socket wrench, so I had to hold one 12mm wrench on the back side, and turn the 13mm nut from the inside about a quarter turn each time, and there's all kinds of stuff in the way. I eventually got it, and the old bushings were badly deformed, so it's good I got this done. Hopefully the new bushings will last another 30 years, or at least until the car doesn't run anymore.