Bad Clutch???

[Slicef96]

I think that my magnetic clutch may be bad. with the AC on it does not engage. I tapped the compressor (as we know ... if all else fails, get a bigger hammer!) and the clutch kicked in about halfway. It was clacking and spinning at about half the speed of the compressor pulley.

This is an R12 system that works well otherwise, therefore I woulf like to leave it alone. Can anyone tell me how to change the clutch without opening the freon system and will I need specialty tools?

BTW it is a 92 Explorer E/B with auto Transmission

Thanks in advance.
-Todd

 

[Glacier991]

You can remove and replace the clutch assembly without opening up the system or losing the charge. BUT it does require some special tools - if you have an autozone nearby I believe you can rent them. One tool is used to hold the pulley stationary while you remove the nut.... another is used to pull the clutch from the shaft, and a 3rd is often used to reinstall it. You will also need to set the air gap on the replacement. (They are usually ok right off in a majority of cases, but it needs to be checked).

First though... are you sure you are getting a solid 12V to the clutch ? Is the low pressure cutout implicated? Believe me, changing out the clutch is a PITA, and before I replaced it I would want to be sure it was bad. You might try jumpering it to the battery with some wires to see if a nice clean 12V connection engages it. They DO fail... but not as often as one might think.

 

[Slicef96]

Well, I tried it all and got nowhere. I replaced the clutch and it did no good so I swapped in a new compressor and converted to 134A. Now the A/C runs cold for about 10 Mins and that the compressor siezes (for lack of a better word.) I can pull the plug and the car runs fine without the AC on. My next thought is More Ester oil. Any oyher thoughts?

 

[Brock94]

Well, I tried it all and got nowhere. I replaced the clutch and it did no good so I swapped in a new compressor and converted to 134A. Now the A/C runs cold for about 10 Mins and that the compressor siezes (for lack of a better word.) I can pull the plug and the car runs fine without the AC on. My next thought is More Ester oil. Any oyher thoughts?

Read Glacier's thread on conversion to R-134a. Also do you mean that your new compressor siezed (ie, it will not rotate when the clutch is engaged)? It's hard to tell from your description if you're talking about something that happens every time after 10 minutes of running or if it happened once and stayed that way.

If you converted to R-134a, you should have flushed out the entire system, replaced the receiver/drier and orifice tube and dispersed an adequate amount of oil throughout the various components-- the type of oil depending on your compressor. Your new compressor should have had some packing oil in it, but you should have removed that prior to installation. After putting everything together, you should vacuum (with an A/C vacuum pump) and recharge.

If there was too much oil in your compressor or if you ran the system without oil, your new compressor may be toast, in which case you will have to start again from the beginning with another new compressor.

 

[Glacier991]

I'm with Brock... too little info. Expand on what you did, etc....