This morning I hopped into my car after warming it up and drove to work. All was fine until I exited the expressway, and I noticed I had no power steering. I pulled over, opened the hood, and saw that the power steering pump wasn't spinning. The belt from the pump goes to the AC compressor, which has a double pulley. The outer pulley of the compressor which is belted to the water pump was spinning fine, but the inner pulley to the steering pump wasn't moving. No screeching, just didn't seem to be engaged. I continued on to work trying to figure out what was going on. I took a look at the rheostat for the AC and noticed it was on. I turned it completely counter-clockwise to turn of the AC and the power steering returned. Anybody got any ideas what's going on. Am I in for a compressor change, pulley change, of maybe just some bad wiring?

Thanks for any help.

Well the pully on my wifes 240 1985 model is a one piece pully, so I can only think that the belt may be slipping I would first verrify it is at the propper tension. or not a worn and dry belt

I guess I should have looked twice before I replied to your first message. You were absolutely correct. The pulley is one piece and the belt was slipping. I just didn't see it. I never had a belt slip without it making some kind of whining or smoking, but I guess there's exceptions to every rule.


Thanks for you help.

No kidding. I would figure you could hear something like that a block away -- or at least smell it from across the street. I've had some real fun trying to stop them from making noises like that on occasion. Wife says hers is a real head-turner every now and then, and it took a lot of questions and suggestions to finally ascertain she can make it quit by turning off the blower and lights. Well, that's another belt(s) altogether...

Sorry about the compressor; at least you can unplug the clutch wire until the weather turns better.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

That's the first thing I thought of, but it's not the case. The pulley is a double groove pulley, and I can see for sure that the rear pulley on the compressor is not moving. The tension on both belts on the compressor is good. If the compressor pulley was locked up, the belt to the water pump would be smoking and/or screeching.

Wow, Neal, I always assumed that was a one-piece assembly too, but I confess to having the older York setup stuck in my mind. About all I can add is my assurance you're not looking at a wiring problem. Wild guessing would lead me to think something in the clutch assy was loose and the inner pulley lost its key to the shaft?? Still think it would be making complaining noises though.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Hi Art! Yeah, I'm probably in for a compressor replacment, or at least a clutch replacement. I hope it doesn't fail completely before the weather breaks. I hate working in the cold.

Side note: I added the picture of the clamp on the bushing tool to the website. Thanks again for sending that to me.

I would hate to work on the AC in the cold. How unrewarding.

Just a follow-up however fruitless. Haynes, Bentley, nothing. Factory AC manual from 85 shows clutches used with York, Sankyo and Delco compressors, but all the drawings appear to me to describe a double pulley as one piece on the clutch bearings. Yet a peek at the wife's 89 proves the pulleys are distinct!

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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Hi again Art. Well, guess what. I am very very stupid. I was talking to a buddy of mine who is to cars what Yoda is to Jedi, and he told me I was nuts. I took him out to my car, turned it on with the AC off and everything worked. I turned on the AC expecting to show him he was wrong. As expected, the power steering pump stopped. He then told me "Look knucklehead, the compressor's seized. The front pulley isn't turning." Son of a gun if he wasn't right. The belt from the water pump to compressor was slipping on the compressor pulley. I could have sworn that it was when spinning when I looked at it when the problem first occured, but I must have had a brain fart.

Anyway, the problem's solved. And thanks for you help.