Air Conditioning Compressor Bypass

[J Lazy H]

I'm sure this has been gone over before but I can't seem to find the answer I am looking for.
I have a 1988 Bonne and my air conditioning compressor just took a dump. For some reason the entire front of the pully came off. Long story short I can't afford the whole compressor so I am going to just put on the bypass. With just the bypass on will I still have the heater or will this just affect the air only? Also can the bypass be put on without pulling the compressor all the way off?
Thanks for any help in advance.
I have had this car for a very short time but love it. As I said before it's an 88 with 73K original miles, original paint and so on. I'm 61 years old and this is the first Pontiac I have owned.

[Jrs3800]

First Welcome...

I forget the exact Length of the Bypass belt I used on an older Bonneville..But I will have to remember to check for you tomorrow..

But the short answer is yes, with the proper length Belt the AC Compressor can easily be bypassed..

Very Nice Bonneville SSE you have.. And in Medium Garnet Red too.. 88 Was the first year of production for this car... They are still as good looking today as they were 20 years ago.. I wish Mine still looked that good..

[J Lazy H]

Originally Posted by Jrs3800

First Welcome...

I forget the exact Length of the Bypass belt I used on an older Bonneville..But I will have to remember to check for you tomorrow..

But the short answer is yes, with the proper length Belt the AC Compressor can easily be bypassed..

Very Nice Bonneville SSE you have.. And in Medium Garnet Red too.. 88 Was the first year of production for this car... They are still as good looking today as they were 20 years ago.. I wish Mine still looked that good..

Thanks so much for the help

[richtazz]

Dorman makes an AC bypass pulley that you install in place of the compressor. That way you don't have to mess with trying to find a shorter belt only to discover you can't route the belt without messing up the rotation direction of a belt driven accessory. It is part # 34202 and should run around $30-$35 at any part retailer. It's essentially a bracket and idler pulley that mounts to the existing AC compressor mounts.

[Jrs3800]

Originally Posted by richtazz

Dorman makes an AC bypass pulley that you install in place of the compressor. That way you don't have to mess with trying to find a shorter belt only to discover you can't route the belt without messing up the rotation direction of a belt driven accessory. It is part # 34202 and should run around $30-$35 at any part retailer. It's essentially a bracket and idler pulley that mounts to the existing AC compressor mounts.

This is not needed on the 87-91 Bonnevilles.... The Pulley system does not have a belt path that runs through a Torque axis Mount...

He should be able to get a Bypass belt... I believe its a 73" belt..

Just went out and checked... The numbers are worn off the belt... I'm pretty sure its a 73"....

Good Luck

[J Lazy H]

Originally Posted by Jrs3800

This is not needed on the 87-91 Bonnevilles.... The Pulley system does not have a belt path that runs through a Torque axis Mount...

He should be able to get a Bypass belt... I believe its a 73" belt..

Just went out and checked... The numbers are worn off the belt... I'm pretty sure its a 73"....

Good Luck

73" is way too long. Could it by chance be a 63" ?

[Jrs3800]

Nope... I just Pulled the belt off the car to get the Numbers off the belt... It is indeed a 73".... The " 730K6 " is 73.0 inches


I'll get a pic of it installed on the car in a few minutes

[Jrs3800]

All you really do is skip the compressor in the loop... Here are a few pics..




And the Belt routing diagram..


I have tries a 71,71.5,72... And found that 73 was just right..

If there is anything else I can answer please ask.. If I was close to you I would drop in and help you out..

[J Lazy H]

Jrs3800-You Sir were 100% right. After I got my head out of my rear end and routed the belt the right way, everything fit like a glove. It's worked so well I',m not even going to buy a new air pump until next spring. I want to thank you again for the help, and knowledge. Now is there anyway you can help me get my brain engaged to understand what you told me to do?

[Jrs3800]

Glad to have been of help to you... I have a 91 SSE... Exact same color... Its the toy of sorts and I need to restore it to its former glory.. I love the Old 88-91 Bonneville SSE... And they still look great to this day..

If you were near me, and the time came to replace the compressor it would have been a fairly easy replacement, along with the inline filter and the Drier... Retrofit to 134 if it hasn't been done.. And send you off with cold AC..