A/C Clutch Sparking

[TheBlackRat]

Hi, all.

Yesterday the A/C on my 2002 Explorer started making a strange noise when turned on. I checked under the hood and it seems to be sparking between the belt and front face of the pulley, with metal grinding on metal. That's accompanied by an unpleasant burning smell.

I am quite happy to get my hands dirty and work on the problem myself, but indentifying exactly what needs to be replaced/repaired is a little bit more of a challenge.

Anyone know of a typical cause of this problem and a fix for it?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Carguy3J]

I think you answered you're own question there. Replace the part that seems to have a burning desire to catch to on fire!:scratch:

Sounds like either the clutch or the front bearing on the a/c compressor. You'll need a new compressor.

Of course, if it's an internal problem w/ the compressor, and not just the clutch, then you have alot more work ahead of you. In that case, the entire system is contaminated with debris from the old failed compressor. You'll need to thoroughly flush or replace EVERYTHING in the a/c system. That means all the lines, the condenser, and the evaporator. The receiver/dryer should always be REPLACED, NOT flushed. Of course, then the system needs to be pulled to a vacuum and refilled.

 

[yetiman]

if the compressor is an FS-10 you can try removing the 10mm bolt on the hub of the compressor and removing one of the shims between the shaft and the hub. The shaft has a tendency to travel overtime and if the gap gets to big the hub will slip and can cause sparking. I spent 6 years in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area working at an auto a/c only shop and we saw more explorers than anything.

 

[TheBlackRat]

Sparks!

Thank you both, for your replies.

I'll check the compressor tomorrow and see if the shim removal resolves it--thank you for that information.

If not, then I will have to bite the bullet and do the whole replace thing. Thankfully summer is at an end (we're in Phoenix), so it's not quite so critical.

I have had a couple of steep quotes to do the work, and also an offer of help from a friend, so I think I'll grab the tools and do it myself. Any hints and tips prior to that would be more than welcome!

Thanks, guys.