I've noticed what I believe to be my ac compressor pulley chirping. It stops when I turn on the ac or defrost. The guy at the parts store said it could be the tensioner pulley and by engaging the compressor it puts pressure on the pulley causing the chirping to stop. I just wanted to get some input from some actual Ranger owners.The ac hasnt worked for the past 3 years. I was thinking about installing a bypass pulley. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

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1997 ranger xlt 2.3L 2wd

I would suspect the A/C clutch bearing. When not in use, the pulley on the compressor still spins, using the clutch bearing. When you engage the clutch, the bearing locks to the compressor, more or less, and doesn't rotate internally any more.
If you want to check the tensioner, remove the belt, and rotate the tensioner pulley by hand, feeling for rough spots or sloppy fit. If it is smooth and non-wobbly, it's more likely the clutch bearing. Depending, you may be able to install a non-A/C belt and just ignore the A/C compressor pulley. Look at your radiator support or underhood for a belt routing diagram. Some will show both routes, with and without A/C, and if you have that, you should just get a non-A/C belt and give that a whirl.
tom

Thanks for the info Tom. I will give that a try this weekend.

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1997 ranger xlt 2.3L 2wd