Jeep Wrangler Air Conditioning Bypass? (Follow Correct Way)

Damage is inevitable in every car, no matter your maintenance routine, and prone to every tool used frequently.

Air conditioners are standard/optional components in some Jeep Wrangler Trims.

And many off-roaders enjoy the air conditioner on hot off-road terrains and general drives as it provides comfort. 

But most times, your Air conditioner could get damaged, and you wouldn’t want to install another one.

The best solution here is an air conditioning bypass, but what is it? Let’s go over that.

Jeep Wrangler air conditioning bypass involves deleting an AC after damage or because you don’t want it. The best solution is putting in a compressor bypass pulley to ensure safe and efficient AC compressor removal without negatively affecting other car components. This process sends additional power to car wheels which is beneficial for 4WD vehicles.

What is Jeep Air Conditioning Bypass?

Jeep air conditioning bypass implies that your truck won’t have an AC installation from the onset or can be removed if damaged and replaced with an AC bypass pulley.

An instant short-term solution for bypassing an air conditioning system is locating the correct compressor relay under the car bonnet and removing it.

#1. Bypassing Air conditioning using Bypass Pulley

• Take Jeep to a mechanic to remove any refrigerant for cooling remaining.
• Lift your car’s bonnet and use a prop rod for support to prevent it from falling. Trace the estimated position of each pulley and the wrapping of belts around the bypass pulleys and write it down.
• Fasten the belt tensioner device to the appropriate placement and discharge the strain on the belt by rotation but ensure to do this gently and keep it aside. After that, leave the tensioner for a while to cool off in its original setting, then remove the belt.
• Find both cables connecting to the AC compressor and clear them using a wrench tool. Follow the visible line tracing back to their other connection area and use the wrench to remove it.
• Find the screws for setting the AC’s compressor and extract them using a ratchet. Then, support the compressor with a rod or have someone hold it for you while removing the bolts and putting the AC compressor away.
• Arrange the air conditioning bypass pulley by mounting holes and position it on the previous engine to run the air conditioner’s compressor. You can now start the installation process using your hand to fasten screws and nuts and the ratchet to tighten them.
• Check the rubber belt to verify any damage and get a new one if necessary. Use a graphic routing illustration to carefully direct the serpentine belt to mount appropriately on the pulley and ensure the belt sits freely on all pulleys, excluding the tensioner.
• Connect the belt tensioner instrument to the central tensioner and spin it using enough pressure. Gradually stop applying pressure on the rotation tool until the belt tensioner wraps tightly around the pulley. You can now release the tensioner tool after completing these processes.

#2. Bypassing Air conditioning Using Serpentine Belt

Aside from the pulley compressor technique, another effective way to bypass Jeep’s air conditioning is to use a serpentine belt.

• Outline the short belt located at the motor’s front. If you don’t know what this belt looks like, it’s a black rubber belt wrapped around the motor’s trappings.
• Make a sketch illustrating the belt’s routing around other components and add the air conditioning system compressor to the diagram.
• Use a ratchet to loosen the serpentine’s belt strain and rotate the tensioner.
• Recover the serpentine girdle belt out of the pulley. After vacating the girdle, you’ll need to use an appropriate belt size to bypass the air conditioning.
• Form patterns over the entire pulleys, excluding the pulley’s compressor, and use thread to make sketches for easier identification. This technique is the best for taking measurements of the serpentine girdle.
• Use the string measurement as an approximation and take it to the store to purchase a serpentine belt in a bigger or smaller length because you could have made marginal mistakes. Above all, the replacement serpentine belt should be shorter than the original one.
• Follow the mounting process of the original belt, which went over all pulleys excluding the air conditioning compressor, but this time direct it to go under the pulley.
• Use pressure when fastening the tensioner’s screws and nuts or discharge the automatic tensioner if your Jeep Wrangler is newer. After following these strategies, ignite your engine and pay attention while it runs to detect unusual noises. But if you don’t notice any sound, you’re all good.

A crucial piece of information to always keep in mind is to constantly begin with the harmonic balancer whenever you want to wrap the serpentine belt around a pulley system.

Avoid igniting an engine when the belt is haphazardly installed, as all engine components must work in their original method to ensure smooth operation.

Cons of Bypassing AC compressors

Bypassing a Wrangler’s air conditioning only offers one well-known benefit: extra torque to wheels.

In truth, this additional power is helpful in winter periods as the motor idles often.

However, the Jeep air conditioning bypass means you won’t have an AC, and there will be no source of cool air during hot conditions like summer.

And you’ll have to rely on your power roof to cool down your car’s interior if you park in an unprotected area exposed to the bright, hot sun. 

Also, the seals and gasket of the AC’s compressor might lose lubrication and dry out.

Non-lubricated metal parts continuously in motion will overheat the engine and lead to gasket failures.

There are pros and cons to every issue, and the decision is yours.

Moreover, some people only desire to bypass an air conditioning system during winter because the weather is already cool; and the AC will serve no purpose then. 

The bypass pulley is free-rotating pulley car producers use in place of AC compressors and is a better alternative if installed by professionals.

You shouldn’t risk installing it yourself if it isn’t your area of specialization. You can buy a Dorman compressor bypass as they have fitting models for Jeeps.

A compressor bypass pulley is ideal for Jeep air conditioning systems, but they won’t last forever, so you’re likely to experience a bypass pulley failure. 

This problem can be due to wear and, most times, won’t work entirely due to using the wrong installation technique.

If you deleted your AC and then noticed some weird sounds from your car motor, it suggests the belt was incorrectly placed. 

It could also mean there are faulty components in the pulley system. Ensure to fix this problem immediately as consistent failure will cause the serpentine belt to break.

And this event causes the engine to generate minimal power for its elements and impacts how efficiently your car uses gas.

Car AC Not Cooling – How To Easily Check AC Pressure Switches

Summary

Generally, the Jeep Wrangler air conditioning bypass involves deleting the air conditioning and replacing it with a Dorman compressor bypass you can buy at stores.

Only consider this option when your AC system has problems: and you don’t have money to purchase a new one because such actions have cons.

Above all, if you’ll be doing a bypass, have a professional handle it to get it right one time.