ac compressor going bad?

[die.egg.go]

O.k., so I am a bit of a novice, so don't mind me if I ask some stupid questions. Anyway, I have a 97 Ford Ranger 4.0, and I believe either my AC compressor or my power steering pump is going bad. There is a rattling sound coming from one or the other. Is there anyway I can disconnect power to one or both to troubleshoot? And if so, how? Also, would failure of either of these components cause my truck to stall, considering it has a serpentine belt? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Earl43P]

AC Compressor has one electrical connector, remove it, tie it back.

If dying quits, bad compressor.

Noisy PS pump: suck reservoir empty, fill with synthetic ATF, cycle steering (I just drive for a day) repeat several times. I've never known of a PS pump WITH FLUID IN IT to seize and cause stalling. Compressor is much more likely. You should be able to watch that happen when the AC clutch engages.

 

[MAKG]

Another thing you might try is to remove the serpentine belt and turn the relevant pullies by hand. All of them. Anything that doesn't feel nice and smooth should be looked into. There is an idler and tensioner as well, as well as the alternator and water pump.

That last part in particular might be "interesting" as the water pump pulley is bolted on, and if it got loose, that might rattle.

A piece of vacuum tube in your ear might also help isolate the sound.

 

[die.egg.go]

Hey, thanks for the responses. I appreciate the help. O.k. so I disconnected the AC compressor. Start up truck. It runs for maybe a minute to two and then slowly fades out and dies. The power steering pump is the one making the noise for sure. It also has a small leak in the main gasket or seal inside. The fluid was a little bit low, but barely under cool mark with engine shut off for a couple days. Checked all the hoses and connections. They all look good. I haven't been able to get belt off yet. Either I don't have the strength or the right tools. I understand the concept, but can't seem to get the leverage to make loosen up. What I'm not understanding is why the truck would stall out because of power steering pump. Unless it caused other problems when it failed?????

 

[MAKG]

If it's binding, it can stall the truck at idle. As can any other pulley.

The spring in the tensioner is pretty stiff; I use a two-foot breaker bar to get the tension off. I think it's a 5/8 bolt head; put the bar on and push to the passenger side. Do NOT hit the battery positive post (might be a good idea to disconnect the negative side).