Did a lot of playing in the mud over the weekend. Usually I avoid mud because it's such a mess to clean afterwards, but I caved to the peer pressure I've carefully cleaned the easily accessible portions of the engine bay and hosed down the belts pretty extensively, but I'm still getting a LOUD squeal when I engage my air conditioning. Sounds like when you hear a car with a squeeky accessory belt under the hood, but it's only when I turn the A/C on. Any suggestions? Are any of the A/C parts able to be pulled and disassembled for cleaning, without purging freon into the atmosphere or incurring costly repairs at the dealership?

 

its your belt make sure its tight or replace it....you might be able to get some belt dressing but i am not super fond of it

 

i was gonna say clean the sh$t out of your under body and motor area. check your tension and maybe spray the belt dressing just to see if it helps. if it does then replace it

 

yeah i bet its the belt... its likely not the bearings because then it would be constant noise, not just when the a/c is on.

 

yeah! clean it up good after ever time you go stump jumpin. i know people like to ride around with sh$t all over their truck bc they think it looks cool but intern its f'ing up your ride.

 

with all that mud you get on the belt it can be like sandpaper and ruin your belt replace and youll be fine

 

I actually cleaned up the 4Runner as soon as possible, but bear in mind, I had about a 60-mi journey home before I could break out the hose. I guess now is a good time to mention that I must've also caught some small debris / pebbles in the front caliper and there was a horrific grinding sound coming from the front wheels when I was in the mud, until I put it in reverse and apparently loosened whatever was caught in there. Oh, and now my FIAMM horns work at about 10% loudness vs. before the wheeling trip. Nice. Can I just say that going balls out through mud is a mistake I'll never make again...? What a mess, what a hassle...

 

hahah thats why i dont go muddin like that anymore.. if i had a truck on the side i would but mine is my primary vehicle.. just clean it up very very good. grease the fittings and etc. i would detail the piss out of it and just stick with trail riding not so much sandy mud.. in NC we have red mud, it doesnt get allin the calipers and etc. it chucks up and if you arent careful you are stuck up lol

 

ugh, i hate mud, and now you know what

the pebbles in the brakes is common, i get that while going through small water puddles and stuff. shifting into reverse almost always works for me.

 

When I get a squeaky alternator or compressor, spraying wd40 onto them for 2-3 seconds whilst they are running almost always does the trick for me.

 

Help, I have tried carefully spraying down the belts with water while the engine was running and after the water was spun off, the belts started to squeek again. This is a high-pitched whine and it only occurs when the A/C is turned on. And it is intermittent. It's an ear-piercing sound - my eardrums were ringing after it went off right as I was leaning over the front grill and looking in! Do I need to take the drive belts off and start poking around in there? Please advise.

 

Was told there was still mud and debris around the compressor and that the A/C belt was no longer centered on the pulley. Approx $80 to clean it out and re-install the belt. GRRRRR...could've and should've done this myself.

 

Lesson learned, and at least its fixed, right Scott?

 

Yes, lesson learned. And yes it's fixed now. A/C turns on like a charm with no belt squeal. 4Runner also ended up needing an alignment as my specs were thrown way off after bumping and bouncing through that mud. I hit some hard bumps and I'm not surprised the front end was out of whack. $159 service bill today...ouch!