2013 SS AC Belt - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

marksgarage · 06-24-2020, 02:33 PM

Had my AC belt come off at 51000 miles pieces of the belt wrapped around the harmonic balancer before I could get off the road and shut it down to see why my ac stopped working ,Now I have a oil leak around the front timing cover .anyone else had this issue,I called GM and they gave me a run down on what all it takes to replace the seal ,6 hours shop time at $98 an hour plus parts ,I looked up replacing it myself ,Balancer torque's at 248 ft pounds the starter has to come off to put a wedge between the bell housing and flywheel when tighting balancer after seal replaced ,then roll the ac belt on it with a special tool ,has anyone else had this issue or am I the only lucky one

pnwdan · 06-24-2020, 03:04 PM

You do need to lock the engine somehow when doing it. I've managed to use leverage on the balancer instead of locking it in the back. You need a tool to pull and reinstall the balancer as well. You do not need a tool to install the belt.

InFiD3ViL · 06-24-2020, 03:10 PM

I have not, but I have had a leaking front cover.

You can easily do this in a day if you have the correct tools. It's mainly just removing accessories, water pump, loosening the alternator and swinging it to the right, removing crank pulley. You will need a torque wrench that goes to 250+ ft lbs. Although i would recommend spending the extra $30 to replace the crank bolt with an ARP bolt. It's reusable and requires only 240 ft lbs, no angle gauges needed.

You can buy a flywheel/flexplate locking tool from Amazon for $15 and an LS balancer removal tool for $30, Also a install tool for $15. I used a large steel bar as a wedge through the crank pulley instead of the locking tool though.

The seal itself it easy to replace. You just need to make sure you replace and torque down the crank pulley BEFORE you tighten the front cover, as the crank pulley snout is what properly centers the front seal.

Obviously there is more to this than I described, but if you have mechanical aptitude and some free time, you can do this yourself. You could use one of the Cam Swap walkthroughs here to follow all the proper steps or look it over before you decide. Proper tools is key.

Do I think its' worth $600-700 for someone that is unsure of their skills or wants to save their back/hands and time? Yeah, probably.

Maroon 6.2L SS · 06-24-2020, 06:18 PM

I just recently had my A/C belt blow up (I'm assuming) when I was doing some Bracket Racing at the local track. 2nd time this thing has shredded or blew off. 1st time was just normal driving last year. The 2nd time it come off it got wedged in between the crank and crank seal causing an oil leak. I took it in to the local service shop and it's gonna be $700 to install new belt and crank seal and to clean up oil splatter around engine including labor.

Guys, can you get away with driving/occasional drag strip racing without even having this AC belt installed??? I'm not concerned with having air conditioning. I thought I read somewhere though that it also supplies cool fluid to the power steering unit

06-24-2020, 02:33 PM	#1
marksgarage mark's garage Drives: Chevrolet Camaro SS Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: French lick Indiana Posts: 1 View My Garage	2013 SS AC Belt Had my AC belt come off at 51000 miles pieces of the belt wrapped around the harmonic balancer before I could get off the road and shut it down to see why my ac stopped working ,Now I have a oil leak around the front timing cover .anyone else had this issue,I called GM and they gave me a run down on what all it takes to replace the seal ,6 hours shop time at $98 an hour plus parts ,I looked up replacing it myself ,Balancer torque's at 248 ft pounds the starter has to come off to put a wedge between the bell housing and flywheel when tighting balancer after seal replaced ,then roll the ac belt on it with a special tool ,has anyone else had this issue or am I the only lucky one

06-24-2020, 03:04 PM	#2
pnwdan Drives: 2014 2SS/RS Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Washington Posts: 848	You do need to lock the engine somehow when doing it. I've managed to use leverage on the balancer instead of locking it in the back. You need a tool to pull and reinstall the balancer as well. You do not need a tool to install the belt. __________________ 2014 2SS/RS LS3/M6 Last edited by pnwdan; 06-24-2020 at 03:45 PM.

06-24-2020, 03:10 PM	#3
InFiD3ViL Drives: 2010 CGM 2SS/RS LS3 Swapped A6 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Spring Hill, FL Posts: 4,737	I have not, but I have had a leaking front cover. You can easily do this in a day if you have the correct tools. It's mainly just removing accessories, water pump, loosening the alternator and swinging it to the right, removing crank pulley. You will need a torque wrench that goes to 250+ ft lbs. Although i would recommend spending the extra $30 to replace the crank bolt with an ARP bolt. It's reusable and requires only 240 ft lbs, no angle gauges needed. You can buy a flywheel/flexplate locking tool from Amazon for $15 and an LS balancer removal tool for $30, Also a install tool for $15. I used a large steel bar as a wedge through the crank pulley instead of the locking tool though. The seal itself it easy to replace. You just need to make sure you replace and torque down the crank pulley BEFORE you tighten the front cover, as the crank pulley snout is what properly centers the front seal. Obviously there is more to this than I described, but if you have mechanical aptitude and some free time, you can do this yourself. You could use one of the Cam Swap walkthroughs here to follow all the proper steps or look it over before you decide. Proper tools is key. Do I think its' worth $600-700 for someone that is unsure of their skills or wants to save their back/hands and time? Yeah, probably. __________________ 2010 CGM Camaro 2SS LS3 Swapped A6 - GPI LS3 SS1 .647/.638, (224/237, 112 +4, 7º overlap) on CamMotion 8620 core, BTR Platinum .660" Dual Spring kit w/titanium retainers, CHE bronze trunnion upgrade, stock heads milled @ .015, Melling HV 10296 oil pump, TSP 1-7/8" long tube headers (W/Catless Off-road Pipes), Corsa Xtreme 3" Catback, GPI Ported/Rod Mod Intake, Stage 2 Ported Throttle Body, Vararam OTR CAI, Mike Norris Gen 2 catch can + GM 1LE clean side separator, 160º thermostat - Megan Racing adjustable coilovers (lowered 1.75"), MRR M017 10/11" wheels-Tuned by Ryan @ GPI

06-24-2020, 06:18 PM	#4
Maroon 6.2L SS Drives: 2010 Camaro SS A6 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 190	I just recently had my A/C belt blow up (I'm assuming) when I was doing some Bracket Racing at the local track. 2nd time this thing has shredded or blew off. 1st time was just normal driving last year. The 2nd time it come off it got wedged in between the crank and crank seal causing an oil leak. I took it in to the local service shop and it's gonna be $700 to install new belt and crank seal and to clean up oil splatter around engine including labor. Guys, can you get away with driving/occasional drag strip racing without even having this AC belt installed??? I'm not concerned with having air conditioning. I thought I read somewhere though that it also supplies cool fluid to the power steering unit