This post is for reference (help) for anyone that ever has a A/C clutch problem on the newer style compressors for the 2001-2002's.
After much reading and much thought...... And riding around in the 90 + degree heat, in a BLACK truck for the past 2 weeks..... Enough was enough!!
After talking to some people here and doing some troubleshooting of my own, I found my A/C compressor clutch to be bad. This was reason my A/C was not working.
I soon found out that the replacement of this part could be done on the truck without removing the A/C compressor.
However, after lots of searching I could not find an aftermarket A/C clutch for my year and VIN #. So, I was forced to settle for the dealer part to the tune of $200.00 with tax. The truck currently only has 68,000 miles on it. So it seemed silly to me to have the compressor replaced and risk more problems by someone else screwing something up.
The dealer had quoted me over $1300.00 for the repair. Replacing the compressor, charging the system, enviromental fees etc....
After checking out this thread:
OK Guys - How do I get my AC clutch off???
and looking at my parts..... There were some pretty big differences between this compressor clutch assembly and mine. The main difference being that the clutch actually sits inside a groove in the pulley. Also there are no "threaded" holes in the front clutch plate to pull the plate. I assume there are other differences as well. But I did not get that far into it (luckily!).
Anyway, here is what happened and here are some pictures. Hopefully this will help some other people out there that are suffering in the heat due to a bad A/C clutch.
Removing the front clutch plate was very simple. I opted not to remove the entire clutch and pulley. Just the front plate and clutch disc.
Using a small spanner wrench, you hold the front clutch plate while backing off and removing the big nut in the center. The threads are standard and "NOT" reversed. Then sticking a large screwdriver between the front plate and clutch disc will break the plate free of the shaft. I had to rotate it and do this several times to wiggle it off. It was a fairly loose fit (not pressed on). When dropping the front plate and clutch disc be sure not to lose the small spacer that was on the shaft. And be sure the plate does not fall and hit you in the face. I was laying on my back looking up at the compressor.
I then loosened the serpentine belt and checked the old A/C compressor pulley and bearing for wear. No problems there. So, I cleaned it up, installed the old spacer, installed the new clutch disc and front plate, installed the new nut, torqued nut to 20 ft. lbs. and re-installed the serpentine belt. You are supposed to check the gap with a feeler gauge when you are done.... But with the recessed design of this clutch within the pulley.... I could not figure on how to get an accurate reading. It is very close and does not rub the pulley when spun by hand.
All done....... The A/C has not worked this good in months. So, I assume this part was broken for some time before it finally gave out.
Again, removing the pulley and electrical portion of the clutch would have been pretty easy and probably added 30 to 45 minutes to the job. I just did not see the point. The one that was already on the truck was in great shape.
The total time it took me to do this job was about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Here are the photos.
Regards,
AJ
A/C clutch installtion for 2001-2002
Linear Mode
