I recently replaced the serpentine belt on my 97 3.0 4x4 extended cab. The old belt was pretty loose and would squeak on humid days. The new belt feels very tight.
Before the belt replacment the AC worked great. After the replacement the AC doesn't seem to work at all. On top of that I noticed that the engine will rev up a little when the compressor kicks in and then it drops back down to whatever RPM it was at before.
Could these problems be caused by a belt that is too tight or is something else going on?
No, I haven't checked to see if the compressor is engaging, how would I do that? This is the first vehicle that I have ever owned with AC so I don't know much about it.
Is it possible that the refrigerant level is low?
Also, I had a friend at work who knows a lot more about cars than I do check the serpentine belt and he says that it is fine.
When you turn on the AC, the compressor will click and you will see the pulley engage. You can turn on the AC, get out of the cab and watch it cycle.
If the freon is low it can cycle rapidly but yours is new enough that it should shut itself off to avoid damage.
A pressure check of the system may be in order.
