A/C bypass 2001 Intrigue
 

Hey, new member here... Was hoping to get some insight on a question I have since there really isnt much info for the LX5 engine out there.

There is a company pool car here at work that the a/c compressor went out on and hasnt been driven since September because of that. Its a 2001 Intrigue with low miles. I inquired about it and was told that it was going to be more to fix the car, than the car was worth. So im currently talking to the bossman to see if i can purchase the car from them for cheap, considering its just sitting out by the dumpster.

My question is, how is the belt routing on the LX5? Does it give room to remove the pulley and route a shorter belt around things, bypassing the a/c basically? I went out and started the car the other day and it starts right up, you just hear a slight whine and smell smoke, presumably from the compressor pulley being locked up and the belt smoking over it. I know they make bypass pulleys for the L36 engines of the 98-00 models, but I havent been able to find any for this engine.

Im hoping that I can either just remove the a/c pulley... or hell, even cut it off at its base, and route a shorter belt around. Working a/c right now is not a must, I'd much rather come out of this with a low mile Intrigue for around $100... lol

If you can really get the car that cheap, I'd go to a junkyard and pull an A/C compressor that had a good pulley on it.

I would buy the car reguardless! At that price its a steal. What i would do is take a string and run it around all the pulleys except the compressor. That way you can measure the string and go to the parts store and see if they have a belt of that length. You have to do it with the belt on though so the tensioner has pressure on it. If you understand what I'm saying.