AC pulley froze, questions.....

[IT-Purrrs]

Well on my way to my g/f's house to pick up my cell phone, my car started smoking like crazy, so i stopped pulled up the hood and alot of smoke was coming from below the alternator. I found my AC, alternator, ider pulley belt laying on the ground cut in half. After a little bit me and my dad pushed the car into a parking lot and checked it out. The AC pulley was almost totally frozen. Here come the questions, can you seperate the AC clutch from the actualy AC compressor or does the whole compressor need to be replaced? If it can be seperated how would you go about doing this? Thanks for oyur help!

 

[SHO_Driver]

Yeah you can seperate it but it's no fun. You start by removing the battery and tray. You can then remove the clutch face by opening the single nut. There's a snap ring after to remove the pulley face. I did it when my subframe was out so I was able to lower the engine low enough to access everything from the passenger's wheel well. Tough with the engine in place. You might try a shorter belt bypassing the compressor to drive home. Run a search for the exact belt size.

 

[freeze]

I'll agree, but you need to find out why it froze. the clutch could have gone but the compressor also could have locked up. btw it will be cheaper and easier to replace the entire assembly. If the compressor went you might have to replace some other things also.

 

[rangerj]

A/C pulley bearing siezed? rangerj

 

[IT-Purrrs]

A/C pulley bearing siezed? rangerj

Correct.

This does not sound like a fun job.

 

[rangerj]

You may be able to get a replacement bearing, (89 through 95 I think).
I got one for my 90 at an auto parts store. Check with a real auto parts store or a bearing distributor.

Remove battery and overflow bottle, or to get at the front of the compressor from the bottom, remove the fender well splash shield. You have to remove the A/C compressor clutch face, then the pulley is held on with a snap ring. The snap ring is beveled and the beveled side MUST face you when it is installed.

The bearing in the pulley has a spring holding it in place that has to be gently removed from its groove. Then the bearing can be pressed out (use a c-clamp as a press), and the new bearing pressed in. Reassemble whatever you took apart. rangerj

 

[IT-Purrrs]

UPDATE:

I didnt see the point of taking the rubber fender well out, so im going in from the top. Battery tray is removed and im in the process of removing the alternator. I took the small 12mm bolt in the middle of the clutch assembly. Everyone talkes about a snap ring? What do i do from here it seems that getting that bolt off did nothing for me.

I forgot to mention also, when this all happened the belt was melted in half and there was so much smoke coming from the compressor that i thought there was a fire. Should i concider the compressor fried, and aim for just replacing the whole thing instead of just the clutch assembly? Thanks.

 

[rangerj]

The bolt holds on the A/C clutch face. The face has to be pulled off of the compressor crankshaft splines. If you are going to reuse the clutch you do not want to pry the clutch surfaces apart. Use a pair of wood shims and wedge them between the clutch surfaces to get the face off.

Once the face is off you will see the snap ring that holds the clutch pulley in place. Remember the beveled side of the snap ring faces you when you install it. rangerj

 

[IT-Purrrs]

Thanks rangerj,

I did get the clutch face off but i ended up prying it slowly off. Because i didnt know about the key. It enede up the clutch got so hot it basicaly mended itself to the pulley so it seemed like all one instead of two parts. I seperated the pulley from the clutch and the pulley spins well. What i am afraid of is that I could not turn the AC compressor manually using a couple of nuts on the shaft and getting a wrench. Does this mean the whole compressor is toast?

 

[rangerj]

The compressor should not take more than about 7 foot lbs (84 inch pounds) to turn it. If the compressor is siezed then it needs to be replaced. Based upon your description the clutch face did a "melt down" which is usually caused by the siezure of the pulley bearing or the compressor. If the pulley bearing is not seized, then the compressor is.

You can get a new, or remanufactured Nippondenso 10P15F (SHO specific compressor) from several sources. Check with your local auto parts store. Some rebuilt compressors are better than others.

You will find that both a rebuilt or new compressor will NOT be covered by warranty unless you replace the accumulator/dryer and the oriface lines, and clean out the rest of the system with a chemical made for this purpose. Cleaning kits are sold by parts stores. If your system was using R-12 it should be converted to R-134a. You will need all new "O" ring seals no matter which refrigerant you use, but the R-134a seals are different (different material), and the refrigerant oil is also different.

If you replace the compressor you should remove the condenser for cleaning and have it pressure tested for leaks. Pressure test it first. If it has leaks, why waist the cleaning solution?

The "special" tools used to take apart the A/C lines are available from Auto Zone for about $20. The tool slips into the garter spring, expands it, and lets the two tubes be pulled apart. The "tool" also is used to separate fuel lines. The set from Auto zones has about 5 different sizes for the different sized lines (fuel and A/C).

When you have the system back together it needs to be vacuumed before being charged with refrigerant. This is the most important step in the whole process, IMHO. If you have further questions, and you will, we are here. The process is simple nuts and bolts, the rest of the process WE will get you through. rangerj

 

[IT-Purrrs]

Thanks everyone,

Right now i cant afford to get a new AC compressor right now, and i really want to drive the car cause i miss it. How would i get the acessory belt to work without the AC pulley?

 

[Bizzy]

Read this post. If you have questions I'm sure that either Glen or Lance would be glad to give you some answers.