a/c compressor

[URLACHER54]

how hard is it to change the a/c compressor on a 94 atx. im not surre if its the clutch or the compressor it self is bad, has anyone changed just the clutch before and how?

 

[monkeyssho]

Yes I have changed the clutch before on my 93 MTX I had to unbolt the alt then monkey my way down to take off the bolts for the compressor to move it. I moves it up to where the alt is located to work on it easier as it has long rubber lines. You should be able to do this but being an ATX it maybe a bit harder due to the engine being closer to core support. Well good luck

Adam

 

[hawkeye18]

Two things: Make sure you get a GOOD spanner wrench. I failed to do this, and it added at least an hour to the change time. Also, get the best pair of snap ring pliers you can find. NAPA sells a good pair, as does Sears. They will be $30 bucks, but if you buy cheap ones, you will curse and swear and scream and cry as you try to get the F#%&*ng snap rings off, then you will go back to sears and get the $30 pliers anyway. As long as you have those two tools, and they're quality, it's not too hard a job.

First, take the belt off (duh). Then, after removing the battery and battery tray, remove the alternator (4 14mm bolts, two short, two long). Now, get that spanner wrench I told you about (I got one from AAP, don't get that one!). What you're trying to do is get that bolt off from the middle of the clutch. The spanner wrench is there to prevent the whole clutch assembly from rotating while you're doing that. If you know a better way (strap wrench, screwdriver, whatever), go for it. All you need to do is get that nut off.

Make sure nothing goes flying when you take that nut off. There is one lock washer that you really, really don't want to lose (unless you have spares). Once the nut is off, you will be able to take the clutch face off. It will be difficult, as it's on the shaft there pretty good. I used a pair of straight screwdrivers and wedged them between the face and the pulley and pried it off from different points in the circle. It will get easier once you can get your fingers in there. Make sure you don't lose the one or two spacer washers if you plan on reusing them.

Now that the face is off, you come up against the Hard Part: getting the clutch pulley snap ring off. If you went through the effort of dismounting the compressor, you will be able to see the snap ring with your own eyes. If, like mine were, your compressor bolts are FIRMLY lodged in their holes and won't move for crap, you're gonna get to do some Helen Keller. Feel around for where the two holes on the snap ring are and use a set of 45 degree tips on the pliers to try to get the snap ring off. It's in a groove, so keep that in mind. The groove is fairly deep. You will try to do this a million billion jillion times before you actually manage to get the bastard off. Once it's off, though, the clutch pulley just slides right off. Phew.

If you want to try to change out the field coil, you're on your own. The snap ring on the coil is 8x harder to get to than the one on the clutch pulley as it's recessed a good two inches. You'd have to remove the compressor to get to it, but at that point it's pretty obvious what you have to do, so you shouldn't need me to tell you.

Installation, as they say, is reverse of removal. With a few minor changes. If you want to change the pulley bearing, now would be the time to do so. I recommend putting some sort of adhesive on the inside of the bearing so that it doesn't slide off. That would be Bad. Put the pulley back on, install the snap ring. This is a little easier than removing it, but not much. Now is the fun part, the spacers. I might be wrong on the numbers, but I think you want to get the gap between .021 and .035 inches. I would recommend erring on the small side, as the clutch does wear over time, increasing the gap. Check the gap at three points on the pulley to make sure the spec is right.

Now that you've gotten that all done, install the lockwasher and nut. You don't need to tighten it too tight, I'd say somewhere between 20-40 ft/lbs. It might be lower than that. That lock washer is beefy.

Check the gap once again to make sure it didn't mysteriously change on you; it does that sometimes. Plug the field coil back in if you unplugged it, put the alternator back in, install the belt, put the battery and tray back in, and start 'er up! Make sure you redo the idle settings thing (steering left/right, lights/sound/AC/defrogger/shift thru gears/brakes on, did I forget anything?). Make sure the AC clutch actually engages when you put MAX A/C on. If it doesn't, you did something wrong. Oops. But really, it's a pretty straight-forward procedure. Setting the gap is the hardest thing to do, brain-wise.

Please keep in mind that I'm typing this all from memory as the last time I replaced my clutch was about 6 months ago, so some of this MIGHT BE WRONG! PLEASE DON'T SUE ME! But seriously, if I missed or flubbed anything, please let me know, oh those of ye who actually know what they're talking about .

I hope this helps.

Oh, btw, if the clutch won't engage at all, check your cycling switch. They go bad a lot, and they're easy to change and cheap. Ta...

 

[URLACHER54]

yea im not sure if its just the clutch or its the compressor. i took the belt off and the pulley has a good wobble to it.