Easiest way to get to A/C Compressor clutch?

[DoC-JoneS]

my ac compressor is acting very wierd, the inner part is rotating slower than the rest of the pulley and vibrating. it sounds horrible and i believe the clutch is frying. has anyone experienced this problem before? how hard is it to replace the clutch and is removal of the compressor nessecary? i'd turn on the A/C and try to see if that fixes anything, but i fear that the compressor clutch may fly off, or stop completely which would be VARY bad for my poor SHO. any help or suggestions would be great.

btw it's a 93 ATX

 

[stevetatro]

You do not need to remove the whole compressor. You DO need to remove the battery, possibly the tray.

There's a special tool that holds the clutch pulley while you remove the nut.

Check this out http://www.shotimes.com/php-bin/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&sid=143

This isn't exactly what you need to do, but it's a good reference for the a/c clutch.

Good luck!

 

[rangerj]

DoC,

You can hold the clutch face, for removing the nut (or bolt), with a "Strap Wrench" (Sears about $20 for a set).

If the clutch face is stuck on the compressor shaft you can pry it off by driving wood shims between the clutch face and the pulley.

If you are going to replace the clutch assembly you can pry the surfaces apart with a pair of screwdrivers. Screwdrivers will damage the surfaces so do not do this unless you are going to replace the parts.

The clutch pulley and the clutch coil are held on with a snap ring (each). Use "snap ring plyers" to remove the snap rings. The snap rings are beveled on one side. The beveled side must face outward when you reinstall them with a new clutch assembly.

You do not have to remove the compressor to do this, but it is easier to access the snap rings by unbolting the compressor from its mount, NOT THE LINES), so you can tilt it for easier access. rangerj

 

[DoC-JoneS]

thanx for the help guys. SHO is going in the shop (hopefully tommorrow) due to position of the compressor. g-ma is paying for the labor if i pay for the parts. because of belt removal my dad is kinda iffy about me doing it myself...

 

[stevetatro]

Why would you remove the belt? The clutch comes off the pulley, no belt removal required.

Belt removal is one of the easiest things to do on a SHO. Especially an ATX. It has an automatic tensioner, so you can't even screw it up when you reassemble!

Don't be afraid to try something like this yourself the next time. You can save yourself (and Grandma?) a bunch of money.

<small>[ October 24, 2003, 04:50 PM: Message edited by: stevetatro ]</small>

 

[DoC-JoneS]

yes it's grandma. the other reason we took this route, is if the compressor is bad then the shop can evacuate the system, replace the compressor and then refill the system much cheaper than we could do it ourselves...