This just saved my family vacation. Thought we were done for. AC started making a grinding noise on our way south. Belt snapped and car overheated. We shut the car off and drifted to a hotel. I googled and found this. Walked 4 miles in 100 degree weather and found the belt and put it on. The truck ran like new. This should get us home. Thank you sir!!!!

 

I'm impressed you were able to get the belt on in the hotel parking lot since you have to support the engine and remove the top right engine mount to install it (belt goes around mount). You must take your tools with you on trips like I do.

 

10 years seems to be the typical lifespan of most ac compressors. Good to know this is helping people. Getting the ac overhauled by a shop for an Equinox is expensive. If you're on the road and need a quick fix, the shorter belt bypass option for the equinox is the most inexpensive route you can go.

 

Quick update here, we ended up giving the Equinox to my mother-in-law a few months back, and the car is still running strong with the new AC compressor and OEM size belt. One thing I did notice, after changing the oil on the car for her recently, is that the belt tensioner seems to be getting noisy. I couldn't quite pinpoint the noise exactly, but I think that is where some odd creaking appears to be coming from.

The bypass belt option I've provided is a bit of a tight fit, and I'm not sure if it put excessive strain on the belt tensioner, or maybe it is just the 130k miles that are now on the engine. Either way, I figured I would provide an update for anyone deciding to take this route as a more long-term solution (instead of getting the compressor replaced right away).

 

Just wondering if this is still holding. I tried to buy a bypass for this and they dont make one for this car. I dont want to put 1500 into it.

 

Worked perfectly up until the time we finally got the AC replaced on our Equinox. Put a couple hundred miles on the car, no issues whatsoever. My mother-in-law has the car now. I still do some maintenance on it from time to time. With the new belt and new AC compressor, I have seen no signs of premature wear or damage to the belt. The car is running on the same belt tensioner and pulleys it had when we were running the shorter belt for the belt bypass.

 

Great info on how to keep a vehicle running w/ o having to have an AC compressor going off of a serpentine Belt. Very good thinking and thanks for the common sense approach.Something that seems to be lacking in regards to "Newer" vehicles.
Is this info for the V6 only ?

Note Belt size to run the 3400/3.4L v6 Equinox without the ac compressor is 643k6 or 6 ribs 643 length, don't go shorter than that, you might be able to get away with a 645 length

 

I just bypassed my A/C with this method but I also replaced the smooth pulley near the crankshaft (the one now running 'backwards') with a grooved pulley. Same as the other grooved pulleys on the 3.4L.
I do not see any issues with doing this longterm. Not worth replacing my A/C as it was not working anyway and the Torrent has 366K km.