Help with shims for A/C clutch!!!

[Jason Baker]

Ok first off I am in Houston so it is hot as **** here and it's not nice when the A/C clutch decides to come apart on your 30 mile drive to work. So I got a new clutch which included the clutch plate, pulley and new coil. Got everything changed out finally, the coil was missing chunks out of the insulation and you see most of the windings inside. So the old clutch plate had only 2 shims, one small one large. The new plate came with 4 shims. So at the moment it has one large and one small, this is after removing the other 2 small ones. So where do you measure the gap, between the clutch plate and front of the pulley? It is working and I can't see the pulley slipping, but it just does not seem as cold as it did two days ago.

 

[91taurisho]

yes, the gap should be measured between the pulley and the clutch. I just re-shimmed my clutch yesterday. I talked to someone and he said that the clutch was probably way out of spec for the problems I am having. I shimmed it to where it's at the high end of the gap, so I'll have to redo it after some use. I'm fine with that as summer will be over before it happens, hopefully. The gap should be between .021 and .036 IIRC. My gap is at .036. With the smaller shim it's at .019. you see the dilemma.

 

[shopartsnw]

For details on how to check the clutch gap and reshim it, go to Care and Feeding of the SHO on SHOtimes.com. It has a pretty good explanation of how to do it.


Not to hijack the thread so soon, but...

to 91taurussho,

Did the reshim fix the problem? It is a pretty tight window with the shims. My car is very close to the too tight setting, but it was my only choice.

- Mike

 

[91taurisho]

I haven't even tried it yet. It's on my to do list... It's still on jackstands in pieces. I'm waiting to get tranny fluid, put in my newer(non-leaking)power steering cooler(If I could find it), put in my ECT(still need to get a 1" deep socket to do it) and a few other things as well. I'll be trying it within the next week(hopefully) and then I'll let you know. Thanks again for all your help! I may be needing it again soon(girlfriends car has a/c problems too).