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I have recently been given a 1986 Buick Century from my mother. It was once owned by my grandparents. It only has 56,000 miles on the engine and it runs great.

The question I have is this... There is a new noise coming from under the hood. It sounds like metal rubbing on metal. I did look under the hood and the noise seems to me coming from a small unit on the bottom of the motor. As you look under the hood facing the engine, this device is on the very bottom of the block. It it almost directly below the alternator. It does have a belt attached to it. I am wondering what this unit may be. I know the car did come equipped with air conditioning, I am hoping that's what it is. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I do notice small metal shaving around the area where the belt attached to this unit.

Thank-you  

there were 3 different motors installed in that car...

a 2.5 4 cylinder

a 2.8 V6 chevy motor

a 3.8 V6 buick motor...


yes it could be the ac compressor...  

post the 8 th digit of the vin number..  

Thank-you so much for your response.

the last 8 of the vin are as follows; GT409025.  

there are 17 digits...

i need the 8th to know which motor..  two to the left of the G..


it will be an

R

3

or X  

It is an X.

Sorry about that I read from the right. It's an old habit.  

Through a little digging, it is a 2.8.  

I have found some ac parts online that look like the part the noise is coming from.

If it is indeed the ac compressor, can I just remove the belt and solve the problem?  

sometimes...

examine which belts drive which...  if your ac belt only drives the AC compressor... you can...

i don't have that model car to examine and there is no belt routing available in my manuals...   so that is something you are going to have to look at..

looking at the belt lists.. i would say that the ac belt only drives the ac.... so you might be able to do it.....  

Thanks again. I did check the belts. There is only one belt running the ac. Each accessory has it's own belt. I guess the serpentine belt hadn't been invented yet.

I did remove the belt going to the ac compressor and the noise disappeared. No big deal, the ac didn't work anyways.

I really appreciate all of your help. I know where to turn if I have anymore questions.  

i just remembered something about that model....

IF THE AC is not working...   and the blower is not working...   DO NOT REPLACE THE FUSEABLE LINK.. at the starter...   the one that burns is 18 gauge...  there is a possible short to ground about 18 inches from the ignition switch...  where the wires leave the column plug and runs over the top of the gas pedal bracket...

i have had several / actually a bunch of them burn....

first thing... smoke up out the steering column...

the ORANGE wire  that feeds the AC relays under the glove box is the wire that shorts out when something sharp cuts through the insulation..... the last one on these that i fixed... i went to the junk yard to look for replacement parts...  almost every one was burned ... dash board fires...

these included the pontiac versions and chevy versions of this car....

i contacted.... mitchell data systems.. but i don't know if a TSB was ever issued...  

the harness if over an inch thick where it passed up and over the gas pedal mounting bracket...  i am not a small person.. that easily fits under dash boards....   so i have had to drop the columns  to really get access to this harness....

do any work with the battery disconnected....    i am   100 percent sure of this failure....

since i have not caught it before it burned... i cannot pinpoint the exact thing that slices into the cable....  but i know that the burn stops at 18 inches from the ignition switch...

please post if you have seen this....