[pvcmpd]

Hello all,

It has been a while since I've posted on this board, but alas my Rover is giving me problems again. To be fair I really have not done too much maintenance recently (with the exception of oil changes) so I figure it could be a number of problems.

Here's what's going on:

This issue started a few months back. My wheel would get significantly harder to turn when I was at a stop and the AC was on. Without the AC everything was normal. A short period after that the prior symptoms were still there, but they were accompanied with a squealing sound. Just recently that squealing is happening even when I'm not turning the wheel, but when I'm simply accelerating from a stop. It seems to go away when the car shifts into second gear though.

These issues go away when I turn the AC off so most of the time I turn the AC off when I'm in a parking lot or doing a lot of city driving, but I would like to resolve these issues if at all possible.

I would really appreciate it if one of the experts on this board could help me diagnose my issue before I take it in to the shop. I would really like to have a good idea of how much the repair will cost me and what it could be.

Thank you everyone for your help.

 

[kmagnuss]

I don't know my a$$ from a hole in the ground when it comes to a/c, but it seems like you're compressor is binding up. Or....maybe your serpentine belt is just getting old and worn and is slipping when the extra tension of the a/c kicks in. Take a look at your belt..if it looks all cracked, then just get a new one and throw it on.

 

[RRToadHall]

I would guess that either your belt is worn and dried out not allowing for grip on the steering pump or contaminated from an oil leak. Second guess would be a worn out tensioner allowing the belt to slip. Unless you have recently replaced the belt I would do so as they are cheap. Keep the old one in teh spare tyre bin for emergency replacement. While you are at it check your tensioner. It should really take a strong arm to pull it back when you replace the belt.

 

[pdxRR]

I have experienced this exact problem recently. In my case, my radiator had a small leak that was spraying coolant on the belt.

 

[big-t]

I agree, you either have a loose or worn belt, or your tensioner is worn out. You have to realize that when you turn or accelerate from a stop, or turn on your a/c you're drawing horse power, and making the belt work harder, so like the other fellows and myself agree, check your belt, and if it looks fine then check out your tensioner. A good way to check the tension on your belt is to just push on the belt in a spot where it's coming off or going to the tensioner and you shouldn't be able to get more than an inch or two of play out of it. Let us know how it turns out, but pretty sure that should solve your problem. Belts only squeel when they're slipping.