997_rich

My compressor clutch is failing. it has about 1mm side play when the clutch is not engaged and it makes a noise with the serpentine belt as the belt/pulley wander back and forth.

The compressor and AC work fine and the clutch engages fine. In fact the noise goes away when the clutch is engaged since the pulley doesn't wander back and forth because the clutch is engaged. Right now I just leave the AC on all the time.

However, I'd love to fix this. Does anyone know if I can pull the AC clutch on this NipponDenso compressor? I've done it before, years ago. I'm really not excited about taking the car in to have someone replace the compressor and recharge the system.

I'm not sure if I can buy the clutch seperately but even buying a new compressor and taking the clutch off and replacing is still cheaper than taking it in to get the whole compressor replaced.

Has anyone pulled an AC clutch on this car?

997_rich

This is what i need to do:


I'll have to call Denso to get the bearing- easier than trying to get a new clutch+bearing+pulley assembly.

As always, advice is welcome.

Edgy01

Thanks for the insight.

997_rich

If anyone finds this thread in the future and they're looking for an ac pulley bearing go here (make sure you have the info from your AC compressor number plate):

http://www.thechillman.com/servlet/StoreFront

They have the OEM bearing for $38. Porsche or Denso do not sell this part. This guy was great- he responded to my email on christmas with expert knowledge.

At the dealer you can bet they'd be putting in a new $400 compressor plus labor plus refridgerant charge. So this is a a pretty good DIY.

griffiths

It all sounds great: a source and DIY video.
But, do you know why your clutch bearing failed?
How many miles are on the compressor?
Have you examined the compressor internals for
signs of wear?

997_rich

you can tell it's a clutch bearing because you hear a noise when the AC is off (clutch is not engaged). also there's about 1mm of endplay/wobble in the AC pulley when the belt is removed and the clutch is not engaged. You'll be able to see the wobble is in the clutch assembly, not the shaft going into the compressor.

there are about 100k miles on the car- I put 75k on myself over the last few years. It's an '05 so the car now is 7 years ald.

Clearly I haven't examined the compressor internals to see if they have failed, that would entail pulling the compressor and discharging the system (which I really don't want to do). In this case the AC works so there's very little chance that the compressor is failing. I've dissected a compressor before but never with the intent of putting it back together- usually you just buy a new/rebuilt compressor and R/R. Then you've got to fill the system with R134a. You'll need a vacuum pump etc for this. It's not really a DIY job. You might be able to do the R/R and then have a shop fill the system, but usually they're reticent to do this if you've done a bunch of DIY work. If the system leaks out you might come back and complain that it wasn't filled properly and they don't know if it's leaking or what happened.

griffiths

I was just giving you the chart for the channel.
Its your boat captain.

997_rich

Ha-Ha... did that come off as short? didn't mean it that way.

griffiths

Nah, I'd say it came off stubby.


So, how many years you owned the car?
How many miles on the car?
What AC repair work was done in the past?
How many times, if any ,was the system recharged?

When the boat slows down, and the prop tosses
up marsh, clams and mud, its time to lift the stern drive

997_rich

Bengregg... I see that you only have two posts and both of them are ads for an AC service in orlando. Are you aware that the rules on this board require you to pay a premium if you want to advert.

997_rich

Update on this- I changed the AC pulley bearing tonight. It seems to be working well so far.

If you attempt this yourself make sure to have lots of pullers on hand. There is an AC puller kit that is available that may be worth it. The unit was much more difficult to pull apart that the video shows.

Also you might want to have something to cut up the old bearing to use the inner race to press the new bearing on the shaft.

My bearing wasn't rusty or damaged. No pitting. It was just sloppy and worn.

atlast911

This is great info. The video doesn't seem to be live, any chance you could re-post? I am ordering by bearing from Chill man today. Thanks