How to bypass air conditioning compressor

Here is a link to the belt routing diagrams to help get started.

https://www.2carpros.com/diagrams/dodge/caravan/2002

I would try a 2 and 3 inch shorter belt and route it below the ac compressor.

There are a few different diagrams for the 2002 Caravan, probably for different engines. I'll see if I can compare it with my van when I get home tonight.

Thanks.

Yes, they are for different engines. Let me know what you find when you get home and we'll go from there.

Thanks. I'm getting discouraged, though. I searched online for a belt for a non-A/C Caravan, and they don't seem to exist. Now I'm wondering if they designed this model without A/C at all. But let's see what I can find under the hood and hopefully I'll get a nice surprise.

Well, my van matches one of the diagrams on that page, G00094757. There is no non-A/C diagram, but it looks like a shorter belt would work fine. I ended up going with a 3.5" shorter belt, a Dayco 5060825. Belt part numbers have the length in the last three digits in tenths of an inch. Or at least this series of Dayco belts works that way. So I used a 5060790.

The belt rubs the A/C pulley, so I removed just the pulley. This keeps the compressor connected to the lines and prevents contamination, in case I want to pony up to get my A/C back.

It looks like it was designed to have A/C as an option, but I bet they didn't sell any without. The belt is readily available, but is not listed for this application.

So it looks like I'm all set. It was raining today and no belt squeal, so it should be tight enough. And no burning belt smell.