Automobile A/C help

[Diamond S]

Replace the clutch or at least the clutch bearing Sam. Get a replacement bolt and check the high side pressure. Probably ok if the low side is 28 to 30. Just depends on temp but you want to be sure the compressor and downstream is good.

I think it is all good, we will see. I think the bolt fell out either friday or saturday. could have been sooner with the little cool fronts we have had, but Sunday when I went on a trash run is when I noticed the A/C was not working.

[RifleBowPistol]

OK, so here is what I just found out that cleared up a lot of things, as well as appears to have fixed the problem.

I stated the compressor was charged, it was, but I can't tell you the exact PSI because I was using one of the things you buy from Wal-Mart. So I go out fire up the truck turn on the A/C and it" looks" as if the clutch engages, still warm air. So I dig a little deeper and check voltage at the compressor...got it. So now I am thinking bad clutch. I kill the truck and I am going to check the clutch for play and just do a general check to see if anything is obviously wrong. The clutch fell off in my hand!!! The noise I was hearing was the clutch not being tight so when it would try in engage it was slipping. Well the bolt was nowhere to be found, so I scrounged up a bolt that I had to cut off 3 times to make it short enough to not bottom out before it got tight. Got it on and tight and fired up the truck, within 30 seconds I have cold air blowing in my truck. Just think, this certified mechanic missed all of that! Now my concern is 1. did he know the problem and was just trying to make a buck, 2. did he really just miss it? I mean I found it in 5 minutes and I know next to nothing about an A/C and I am far from being a mechanic. 3. Is this a common practice in dealerships?

Thanks to everyone who responded.

Something else to check, make sure you have around a .020" to .030" air gap between the A/C clutch hub and the pulley. There is typically a small shim up inside the clutch hub. It spaces the clutch hub out. It spaces off of the end of the compressor shaft. The bolt that was missing, goes through the center of that shim. The shim, will look like a thin washer, they are typically about .020" thick. You won't be able to see it, unless you pull the clutch hub off and look up in the bore where the splines are. Down at the bottom of the hub bore, is where the shim will be. No need to pull the hub off and check the shim, if the clutch air gap is good, but if the air gap is too tight, it can drag and eat up the clutch hub and the mating face of the pulley. Then you will need a new clutch hub/pulley, if they sell them separately, some times the do, some they don't. Some compressors you have to buy a complete assembly, those will be the expensive one. If the air gap is too big, the compressor will not engage, or will engage intermittently. That is probably what you had going on. With no bolt holding the compressor clutch hub, where it should be, it probably walked or vibrated forward, increasing the clutch air gap. If the air gap is too great, the electromagnetic clutch coil can not pull the hub back to engage the compressor.

[Efren]

If you still have coverage, take it to another mechanic who is certified. Your warranty will still cover the reapirs

[doublearrow]

Where you out of a mileage warranty?

[Diamond S]

Where you out of a mileage warranty?

Yep by about 6K. I thought they may have some kind of service bulletin on it, and was hoping that buying 8 vehicles from them in the past 16 years that they would take care of it for me, I guess not.

[Diamond S]

Something else to check, make sure you have around a .020" to .030" air gap between the A/C clutch hub and the pulley. There is typically a small shim up inside the clutch hub. It spaces the clutch hub out. It spaces off of the end of the compressor shaft. The bolt that was missing, goes through the center of that shim. The shim, will look like a thin washer, they are typically about .020" thick. You won't be able to see it, unless you pull the clutch hub off and look up in the bore where the splines are. Down at the bottom of the hub bore, is where the shim will be. No need to pull the hub off and check the shim, if the clutch air gap is good, but if the air gap is too tight, it can drag and eat up the clutch hub and the mating face of the pulley. Then you will need a new clutch hub/pulley, if they sell them separately, some times the do, some they don't. Some compressors you have to buy a complete assembly, those will be the expensive one. If the air gap is too big, the compressor will not engage, or will engage intermittently. That is probably what you had going on. With no bolt holding the compressor clutch hub, where it should be, it probably walked or vibrated forward, increasing the clutch air gap. If the air gap is too great, the electromagnetic clutch coil can not pull the hub back to engage the compressor.

Yes sir, I found it when the clutch came off and put it back where and how I found it. If it will all stay together for 10 months, it will be traded off and hopefully I will not be putting as many miles on the new truck and can keep the new one covered a bit longer.

[doublearrow]

Yep by about 6K. I thought they may have some kind of service bulletin on it, and was hoping that buying 8 vehicles from them in the past 16 years that they would take care of it for me, I guess not.

That sucks man.

[Dieselman]

I’ve got a neighbor that asked me why his AC would cool or get cold running down the road. Then when he stopped it would get hot. Guessing due to on phone and not at the truck. Fan no air flow told him holler when you want to look at. About 2 weeks later get a text asking about compressor, clutch etc. AC clutch got hot knocked seal out of compressor. The repair shop wanted 1300.00 to fix. Told him go parts store and get the stuff and fix in drive way. I sent him a pic of compressor, dryer , expansion valve. etc. Parts store cost of 300/400 buck. He said repair shop was telling him he needed compressor, clutch , dryer etc. They told him that clutch came separately. Told him AC gauges, vac pump sitting here. Holler when he’s ready. Also found the fan out on the condenser causing the issue to begin with.


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