Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Riding into the nearby variety store to pick up a gallon of milk yesterday evening, I was thinking how wonderfully my '89 Riv was running now that everything was up to snuff. Then, when I started it up to go, came apart. I lost the alternator and power steering. Realizing that probably it was the belt, I drove the short distance home. There I saw the car was leaking a blond fluid which looked like brake fluid out of the can. It drained quite a bit on the floor of the garage, but I was able to soak it up with kitty litter. Then I opened the hood. The serpentine belt had slipped off but was not broken. The dip sticks showed full power steering fluid, trainee fluid, and oil. The Brake Fluid Reservoir was full of darkened fluid. I was mystified. What was it? Since it was late, I shut the hood and put further exploration off till today. Now, I'm headed to see what I can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JalopyBob Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 If your Riv is running GM DexCool as its coolant it might look like what you have described. Look for leaks around the transaxle too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I must agree...... overheated and lost coolant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Road mister Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Third vote for coolant. Hopefully just a hose leak. Worthwhile to change the other hose and thermostat also, don't forget the "O" ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 What caused the belt to slip off,what is the fluid,check the A C compressor the oil is mixed with water from the compressor. The unit could be the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 What happened to the milk? The only "blonde" fluid in the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 What caused the belt to slip off,what is the fluid,check the A C compressor the oil is mixed with water from the compressor. The unit could be the problemPlease explain this theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1 Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 What caused the belt to slip off,what is the fluid,check the A C compressor the oil is mixed with water from the compressor. The unit could be the problemCheck the radiator cap I had one leak and the coolant got on the belt and it came off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 The belt came off,a jamed pully will cause this,frozen AC compressor ,or defective unit,pully lose,leaking oil from unit mix with water.This is a guess I am not there to see. Or did someone spill this fluid on the groung? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 The belt came off,a jamed pully will cause this,frozen AC compressor ,or defective unit,pully lose,leaking oil from unit mix with water.This is a guess I am not there to see. Or did someone spill this fluid on the groung?ill get bac to u when i find a translater to interpet what you sad,yu cud be rite, about de belt, have no ida thou,cant see it mislef,gess wellwill hav to reli on oner to let us no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 When parts wear,such as the belt tensenor. The pully will fall off. When wore out the, AC compressor will jam and not turn.This is all due to wear.Just like tires wear out from use. Improper oil, too little,too much, is not good for the unit.When a person has a problem with there auto,it is hard to find there cause when you are not there to look at the auto.Many times the first place to look is where you had SERVICE done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest barra Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Is it possible that someone added a can of water pump lubricant to the radiator fluid the last time you changed it? The lubricant fluids are milky in color and it does seem to affect the radiator fluid as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 (edited) Most of you guys are right. It was coolant. I'm pretty sure the water pump crapped out. I've gone through this before. The pump wheel turns freely, and most of the coolant has been lost. I know of one test i.e. running water through the system and watch for the leak. I'm going to do this today. Then, I'll try and obtain a new pump if the old one is bad. With over 175,000 miles on the car and having sat in a hanger for 3.5 years, this isn't surprising. I'm just glad it failed so close to home and garage. I'm wondering, should I test the compressor to see if it turns correctly? I haven't restored the A.C. as the trouble with it was more than fluid replacement and I live in a cold climate. Edited October 19, 2009 by SwiftBuicks More inquiries (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 If you don't intend to use the AC compressor, you can get a belt that will bypass the compressor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Thanks loads Ronnie. Are you saying that if I go into any parts store, I can obtain that belt? Whatever, I'm going to make some inquiries today. I pulled the old water pump. It's definitely bad. I had some gasket cement on the shelf, but since it must be 20+ years old, I have decided to throw it out and buy new. Consequently, I won't be putting the new pump in until today or tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The ac by pass belts are ,GATES # 060725/6pk1840 AC DELCO#6k725 GOODYEAR#4060725 .I got this info off earlier posts I do not know if they work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Serpentine belts do not come off easily, something caused it. Generally if the a/c compressor seizes that will let the smoke out and destroy the belt even if still round. You need to check it carefully.This is the reason I have AAA plus (100 miles free towing) and have them drop at my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The reason to check the pully is to try to find if there is a problem.I would think that the person looking at the car would check all the pullys which are run by the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The numbers work as I had to make an emergency repair... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mc_Reatta Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Pull up and push down on the water pump pulley and see how much play is there. I'm guessing that the bearing holding the pulley shaft failed to the point it let the coolant leak out of the pump housing and let the pulley get far enough out of line that the belt ran off to the side. You should definately confirm that, and that all of the other pulleys are turning freely and have virtullay no play. I leave it up to you if you want to bypass the AC or not, but I think the whole problem is from the water pump alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ekvh Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 When I was attempting to flush the tranny on mine once, I was using the "start it and pump some out while putting some in" method. The hose which was removing the fluid slipped and shot some fluid into the belt between the belt and the AC pulley. Before restarting the car I noticed the belt was three quarters of the way off. I put it back in place and it has been fine ever since. So to pour a little gas on the fire here, it appears oil or thicker liquid into one side of the pulley could cause the belt to slide off. poof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 We use to have a 1989 Olds Calis 3.0 V-6. I was filling the radiator after draining the cooling system. The car was idling as I filled it will coolant. I walked away and the coolant shot up and went on the Serpentine belt. The belt wraped around the Harmonic balancer and ruined the sensor. Had to have the car towed to shop for repairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ekvh Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I guess I was very lucky, Chas1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Why are so many of these replies coming after I stated that I found the trouble? You guys should have read through the thread completely instead of stopping at the first post. Whatever, I replaced the pump. Then I inquired at the parts store (Orleans Auto Parts which has been giving me good service) about a bypass belt. He sold me a bypass pulley which I will put in the compressor's place. I'm in the process of removing the A.C. system completely. It was fully disfunctional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 You do not need any pully to use the by pass belt. You just need the correct belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard D Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Why are so many of these replies coming after I stated that I found the trouble? You guys should have read through the thread completely instead of stopping at the first post. Whatever, I replaced the pump. Then I inquired at the parts store (Orleans Auto Parts which has been giving me good service) about a bypass belt. He sold me a bypass pulley which I will put in the compressor's place. I'm in the process of removing the A.C. system completely. It was fully disfunctional.May I ask why you are removing the compressor? If you ever sold the car not having the compressor in place would hurt the value. Just turning the compressor clutch pully does not use a noticible amount of gasoline and keeps the system sealed from the outside air which makes the repair of the system easier even if you do not plan on fixing it ever, there may come a time when you want to sell it for a different one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 (edited) First of all I wonder if running an Engine that was designed to use a specific length belt and wheels with a shortened belt less one wheel wouldn't change the torque on the various motors. When worn out the AC compressor will jam and not turn. Generally if the a/c compressor seizes that will let the smoke out and destroy the belt even if still round. Anyway, now that the A.C. has been removed, I won't have to think about restoring it. You can check my photos, but the resale value of this car depends much more on the way it looks and runs than on the defunct A.C. system. From my experience selling used cars, you can get a lot more for a car if you have something that strikes someone's fancy like a day glow Gremlin. Finally, I have never sold a car that I owned. You will never get the price you deserve for all the work you put into a car. I have either driven them until they had to be junked or they were totaled in an accident. This car hopefully will be mine up until the day I die. Edited October 23, 2009 by SwiftBuicks (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I learn something new every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEMO Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Checking the ac compressor pully,that is to check if it has a problem. The cars A C can be repaired,it is not that hard.With the compressor removed you can replace it with one that works. Using the smaller belt is a quick way to get the car going. If you ever want to repair the ac, you have the hardware you removed to re install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Having spent a lot of time in both places I can agree that parts of LaLaLand (particularly Santa Monica) or up in Sunnyvale and points north, you really do not need a/c. Can't say the same about Sacramento or Palm Springs or Needles.OTOH in the 100 days of summer here, or most of Texas (understand the Valley is nice), Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, or Geogia not to mention the "Valley of the Sun" it is a necessity.So depends on where you live. Personally an just a right coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mc_Reatta Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Changing the length of the belt will not affect the torque it delivers significantly unless it is made of a strecthable material which serpentine belts are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 As a matter of information I would like to know how one threads a by-pass belt. It must be a different threading than the one with the A.C. Whatever, I have put the by-pass wheel in and am using the old belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wws944 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 As a matter of information I would like to know how one threads a by-pass belt. It must be a different threading than the one with the A.C. Whatever, I have put the by-pass wheel in and am using the old belt.Look at the decal in the engine compartment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SwiftBuicks Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Since they never made a 3800 without A.C., I can't see how the decal in the engine compartment will help. Whatever, I finished the job. The car is running well. If someone wants to change the plugs in the future, they don't have to struggle with the infernal A.C. system in the way like I had to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Believe a/c was an option on the base 87-91 Bonneville with 3800 and possibly some Oldsmobiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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