De-supercharging ?

Can I drive a supercharged Buick with the belt off the supercharger? Is it going to be driveable? Can I damage something? Reason I want to do so is that I have a weird grind noise while driving and I would like to make sure that its not the SC that grinds.

Thank You for any help.

regards, Bart.

Yes it is driveable, I have seen them come into the shop with out a belt on the supercharger and the customer was not complaining about it. (And they didn't buy the idler pulley and belt to fix it.) They drove it away as it was.

You can run it without the belt. Performance will be decreased greatly, but it won't hurt anything.

As for grinding noises, the three most likey causes are:
1) Bad axle bearing(s). Common problem on Regal GS, probably on Park Ave. Ultra, too.
2) Old supercharger belt squeeking, though not really a grinding sound. Simply replace the belt to check; Autozone has a good return policy.
3) Bad supercharger snout. The expensive one. More common if you're running an aftermarket pulley. Could be caused by loss of/poorly maintained supercharger oil (the supercharger is lubricated by it's own oil), so check that.

Thank You for answers.

I have beed driving my car for a while now and I have realized that grinding sound comes when the car is tilted to the driver's side. It is enough to jack the car up on the passanger side, so I dont have to drive it for the grinding noise to show. I have just replaced the coupler because it was noisy and filled it with fresh oil. I am almost certain that it is the supercharger bearing. Not the one in the snout, but the one from the coolant side.

When Ill drop the belt, Ill be sure.

Once again, thank You for answers.

regards, Bart.