Ac Compresser Clutch Issue..

[Boggie1688]

Sup guys...wellz finally I'm taking my first step to get this car fixed...its summer now...so i can start fixing stuff. My first step is to fix the AC on the car...its hot here in cali...soo i wanna get that fixed first.

I had the ac checked out and the compressor isn't leakin ... the mechanic actually said that...the AC clutch that connects to the fan belt that runs the AC has gone bad. He says he can't fix the clutch because he doesn't wanna deal with warrenty issues if his work doesn't hold up...or if it fails. So I've decided to do this myself...I'm not a genius under the hood but my dad will tell me what to do...and I'll do the wrenching myself..

Now my question...since I have a bad AC clutch...is there any place where I can buy the components needed to fix the clutch? Instead of replacing the whole ac system itself? I'm not a guru at finding car parts online...and was hoping you guys could help...THANKS!

Boggie1688

[Rocky A.]

Ended up replacing the whole compressor, and converting to R-134 in the process. I had the dealer order a replacement clutch assembly that "allegedly" fit my compressor, but when I got it, it was clear that this replacement wouldn't go on my old compressor. Plus, my compressor's shaft had become sort of egg-shaped over time, so it needed to go anyway. Your best bet for parts are either a reputable local A/C shop or your BMW dealer. Join BMWCCA if you haven't already, gets you a 10% discount on parts at most BMW dealers.

Good luck.

[gale]

check a few places. I was able to get mine working properly again by just re-machining the clutch surface & shim/set the gap a few weeks ago & didn't have to mess with the solenoid business. Indiviual a/c compressor parts aren't cheap. Here are a few sources that sell just the clutch, besides the dealer:

http://www.impexfap.com

http://www.hancockindustries.com

And of course, you can always try BMA, Maximillian's, etc. It might not be that much more expensive just to get a complete rebuilt compressor.

[winfred]

what flavor of car??? brand of compressor? some clutches can cost as much as a whole compressor which can take a dump and take your new clutch with it, if it's a nippondenso (mostly aluiminum) the rubber lined face plate fits lots of asian cars and some american stuff too, most of the time the pulley is different but most of the time the bearing is the same and can be pressed out and installed in your pulley, the same for the coil. the bosch/seiko compressors can be a pain to track down and expensive

[Boggie1688]

Yea I went down today to the local car store...and hes like wellz...for the clutch itself its $370 and if you got an actual band new compressor...its like $420...soo its not a big difference and you might as well get a whole new compressor..so I was like god damn screw it...i don't have 420 bucks to throw down on AC...I can get a HID installed for 420 bucks...

Gale...remachining your parts...fill me in on that...I'd like to know what you did...maybe I can some how figure out what that all means and try doing it...might as well try....oh and last question...i was thinking...Since I'm poor and probably can't get this AC to work...I was thinking maybe I should just take all the AC components in the car out...making it slightly lighter...and slightly faster! But the ac clutch runs on the fan belt...and I was wondering what would happen to the belt if I took the compressor of it...

[MBXB]

I got a quote from Hancock Industries for my 540i:

New Compressor with New Clutch: $$295 plus $100 core charge
Reman Compressor With clutch $233.55 w $100 core charge
Clutch ONly $108 plus $50 core charge

How easy is it to change the clutch?
Lemme guess.. Special Tool XX XX ZZZZZZZZ!!???

[gale]

[IMG]http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/ac_clutch1.jpg/IMG]

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/ac_clutch1.jpg

Mine is identical to this one from Bentley's (Seiko-Seiki) except it has a vee-groove pulley instead of the serpentine. I can't exactly call what I did a rebuild, rather a minor re-surfacing job. The clutch was functioning but would screech if engaged above 1500 rpm. There is supposed to be about a 0.020" gap between the drive plate and the pulley surface (when disengaged). Mine had about a 0.080" gap. What I did is:

1. engage the clutch
2. remove the retainer bolt #1
3. remove the belt
4. remove the drive plate #2, it is splined to the compressor shaft and wiggles off
5. remove the snap ring #3 (a bitch with the compressor in the car)
6. pry off the pulley #5 with a modified gear puller, was a snug press fit but did not require alot of force to remove
7. chucked the pulley #5 in a lathe, indicated the runout to within +/- .0005", & took approx. 0.005" skim cut off of the friction surface (it was badly worn & grooved)
8. jitterbugged the friction surface of the drive plate #2
9. re-assembled. There is a shim washer (not shown) on the compressor shaft behind the drive plate. I did a measurement without the shim and it was too tight. I machined a 0.010" thick shim & re-attached the drive plate and now it measures 0.013", a little tight but doesn't scrape when free-wheeling.
10. put it all back together & it works great, with just a slight chirp when it engages above 3000 rpm, but bare hear it below that.

I didn't mess with the solenoid business at all, seemed to be working fine.

If yours is messed up in another way than what mine was, there would be no consequenses if you removed the belt, just make sure you don't engage it after that or it could fry the clutch solenoid if it's not toast already.

[Boggie1688]

Thanks...very very much for the picture...OMG what a big help on what the AC compressor actually looks like...big help to me and my dad...lolz...

Yea we had the same screeching noise...until we changed the belts...now we just get this weird clickin clunkin noise....I have a feelin its the clutch bearing...You think if i take the bearing out and go down to the local hardware store...they will have a replacement? Can I just throw any bearing in there? that will fit?

Lastly...about removing the belt from the AC compressor...if I take the AC compressor out of the belt...will I need to switch to a smaller belt? Yea right? otherwise i'll have slack all over the place...? right?

[Boggie1688]

Aites I got under the hood anyway...and I managed to remove just the cover of the compressor clutch...and what is left is the pully with the belt around it...and I wanna get the pully out...but I cant get the damn belt off...and I really have no idea how...and my dad was saying that I need to remove the tensior then that will take the tension of the belt soo i can easily take it off....which makes sense...but the god damn tensioner won't come off!! I dunno what screws I'm suppose to take off...what I'm not...and all in all its seems like the damn thing is stuck there like glue! HELP!

[gale]

Yeah, I know what you mean about getting the belt off. I just put all new belts on mine maybe a year ago & the a/c belt was too tight to pry off of either pulley so I sacrificed the near-new belt & cut it off with a pair of dikes & bought a new one the next size longer when I put it back together. There isn't much travel on the adjuster to accomodate a longer belt.

The bearing feels a bit gritty on mine but doesn't make any noise (so far) but I have it in the back of my mind I need to replace it. When you get the pulley off, you'll see that the bearing is staked so you'll have to grind the nubs off with a dremmel tool before pressing the bearing out. Going back together you'll need to stake the bearing again with a punch or maybe press it in with some semi-permanent Loctite.

Hardware stores won't be any help finding a bearing & neither will Autozone, Pep Boys, Checker, etc. Maybe try Napa or for sure, check the Yellow Pages for an industrial bearing supply house. They'll be able to match it up. Maybe press the old one out & look for a bearing number on the side of the outer race & plug the number into Google & find one on the web. If you have a set of calipers, measure the o.d., i.d., & thickness in millimeters & that will give you the generic size/part number, something like 80x50x20 or such (just making up an approx. size from memory). I'm quite certain it's a ball-type bearing (as opposed to a roller bearing), double-sealed. Get a Timpken or other high quality brand. Bearings come in different grades of quality based on how many service hours they're rated for so don't scrimp.

Does yours have a single serpentine flat multi-toothed belt or do you have individual belts for the various accessory drives? Mine has a single dedicated belt for each component so I can take them off individually, but if your a/c belt also drives the p/s or alternator or water pump, you'll have to ballpark a shorter belt & means to tension it. Maybe wrap a rope around the grooves to simulate a belt, mark where the end meets, & lay it out & measure the total length with a tape measure & should be within a size or 2 of the right size. If you don't have a means to tension a shorter belt when bypassing the a/c compressor, then your hosed. Mine doesn't have any idlers/tensioners, just direct-drive, one seperate belt for each component & they each have their own manual adjustment.

[rickm]

I can get a HID installed for 420 bucks...

When it's 95 degrees out a/c is worth more than lights. Honest. :) Don't be like the guy at I saw at the tire store the other day, he spent several k on rims several weeks ago and was po'd because his car wouldn't pass inspections due to the nasty oil plume that it spewed when it started up. :P Mechanicals come first, bling second. :)

[winfred]

yea really, i have a few good storys from my shop, crappy beat to hell 240 volvo comes in for work, of his list-o-**** he desides he can afford 1 thing after the estimate, it's a toss up between the fact the car has almost no brakes at all (so bad we refuse to test drive), and dead ac, he sprung for the ac despite our advise.
my other favorive is from our parts store, 300e mercedes, he ordered a flex coupler and while he was picking it up he got several pieces of exterior trim from the salvage yard, time to pay he doesn't have enough money for everything, he leves the flex coupler and takes the trim ********, he comes in a couple days later and tells us when he drove the car the next day the driveshaft had a fight with the tail shaft of the tranny and departed company, the results of the fight, broken tranny, now useless driveshaft, broken cat converter, broken 02 sensor and blown airbag (the trigger sits on the tunnel by the shifter) he said that if he bought the coupler he planned to install it the same day (too late now)


When it's 95 degrees out a/c is worth more than lights. Honest. :) Don't be like the guy at I saw at the tire store the other day, he spent several k on rims several weeks ago and was po'd because his car wouldn't pass inspections due to the nasty oil plume that it spewed when it started up. :P Mechanicals come first, bling second. :)

[Boggie1688]

Aites...soo I'm pretty f-ing screwed....I get to the damn clutch and it won't freakin come off. Go down to the local auto store...and they are like uhh u can try a pully remover...nope...my clearance infront of the compressor is a goot 2.5inches...soo hes like well lub that suka up and pound pound pound...thats what i've been doing for about 3 hours...and nothing...NOTHING! this little compressor is pissin the **** out of me...anyone got any ideas? I'm deperate...

[winfred]

did you remove the snap ring? if so you can unbolt the compressor and point it in a direction that you can use a puller without dissconnecting the hoses

[Boggie1688]

yea...the ring was actually broken....ok ill try removing the compressor...anyone know how?

Update..
Its neared the end of the day...and i've cleaned up...and put the car back down on the floor...i removed the belt...and then tensior...soo those parts are in a box now...I couldn't get the clutch off...I'll try again maybe tuesday...my day off from work....I looked into droppin the compressor...and there are 4 screws...but futhur inspection shows that I don't have any extra slack on the lines to drop the compressor 6 inches to the floor of my garage...the damn clutch is really really stuck...maybe one more try and I'll give up...cuz I really don't wanna take the hoses of the compressor because then I'll need to refill it with R12...which I don't think anyone sells anymore...due to the regulation update to R132a...also now there is this weird noise coming from the engine compartment...kinda like a hissing noise...or a noise like when u take a round ring..and spin it on a metal tube...its a ringing spinning noise...really can't figure out what it is now...maybe its cuz after removing the compressor belt...the fan spins faster or something...

Last question..by taking the belt off...does that give my car a little more power? Thats what my dad says...but I thought...you would only get more power...when U take all the AC components off...and we got into a little debate...so I wanna set it straight...Thanks for all your help today guys...thanks a lot

[Jazzman]

give him your AC compressor model number (on a tag on the compressor side). The replacement clutch solenoid is a simple three wires you need to splice to the original.





Sup guys...wellz finally I'm taking my first step to get this car fixed...its summer now...so i can start fixing stuff. My first step is to fix the AC on the car...its hot here in cali...soo i wanna get that fixed first.

I had the ac checked out and the compressor isn't leakin ... the mechanic actually said that...the AC clutch that connects to the fan belt that runs the AC has gone bad. He says he can't fix the clutch because he doesn't wanna deal with warrenty issues if his work doesn't hold up...or if it fails. So I've decided to do this myself...I'm not a genius under the hood but my dad will tell me what to do...and I'll do the wrenching myself..

Now my question...since I have a bad AC clutch...is there any place where I can buy the components needed to fix the clutch? Instead of replacing the whole ac system itself? I'm not a guru at finding car parts online...and was hoping you guys could help...THANKS!

Boggie1688

[Anton CH.]

What were your symptoms of the failing clutch? I think my clutch may have gone bad (it works but you can feel it engaging).

[Boggie1688]

UHh...to tell u guys the truth...I really have no idea whats wrong with the Ac compressor...all I know is that the mechanic said the bearing was bad...
and i think hes right...cuz when I spin the pully..I get a griding noise...not to mention the pully clip was broken...and now I can't get the pully of the clutch/magnetic winding.....maybe its cuz theres some debrie stuck in between...preventing me from removing it...but its really starting to bug the **** out of me....cuz I took a hammer and screw driver...and banged and banged and banged...and spray wd40 and it still won't come off...soo its really really pissing me off...

[Boggie1688]

Muah hahahaha....took the ac out sorta...left it propped up against some of the suspension components...used the puller and got the pully off...then got the magnetic coil off...and thats what is wrong with my compressor...the coil's signal wire...has broken off....sooo...my question to u guys is...how do i fix it? do i just solder a new wire on? how if I do...does that one dinky wire...keep the magnetic coil in place? or does the clip hold the magnetic coil there? can someone give me a detailed diagram of the coil and how it is connected to that wire? THANKS! Hopefully my AC WILL WORK AGAIN!

Oh and can someone give me the specs on the clutch clip and the pulley clip i need new ones

[Boggie1688]

Wellz...I found out the part that messed up my AC was the pin...the pull pin broke...and it cause the whole pully and magnetic coil to wiggle around...which tore of the connectors on the back of the magnetic coil...no charge...equals no pull...equals no engaged clutch...So i run out grab something that looks like it will fit...and it doesn't...the magnetic coil has to small slots for the connector to go in...and the connectors are two flat metal pieces that are vertically stack and crimped to one wire...I couldn't find two flat metal pieces that were vertically stacked...I found ones that were horizontal...but not vertical...soo I just a piece that had one metal piece that and shoved it in...and crimped the wire in...guess it didn't work...cuz the clutch isn't engaging...My dad keeps wondering why there is only 1 wire to the compressor...if you look at the connector...its a 3 wire connector but when u pull it of the compressor you only see 1 metal prog that connects to one of the 3 wires in the removable connector...from the prog...you have one wire that goes down to the magnetic plate....and it looks like it splices into another wire that goes down behind the magnetic coile into a carbon bush...that sits behind it...but contacts the coil...i really dunno what the hell i'm doing...i was even suprised I got the whole thing apart...and back together again...maybe you guys can give more insight...I really want this AC to work...Thanks I'll post pics later...cuz I really dunno how to explain things..

[RickyJ]

I have a separate flat AC belt, so I will pull the belt tonight and confirm it is the compressor. The system is R12 and all original. I've converted an E30, but I hope to avoid that whole mess. Can I just pull the clutch with hoses attached and replace the bearing? What type of special puller/tool is needed? Thanks in advance.
'92 525iA 143k

[Boggie1688]

Yea u don't need to remove the compressor...cuz then u'll lose ur r12 refrigerant...basically what i did was take the belt off...then the front cover for the pully...removed the 4 screwes for the ac...and kinda found a way to get the ac to tilt downward towards the floor...I think i proped it up against the ac mount and the suspension arm...then once u have it kinda propped in placee and tilted down...take a gear puller and hook it up to the back lip of the pull and just keep turning till it pops out...if you don't have one...u can go down to ur local auto store...i went to kragens...and they let me rent on for forty some bucks...and when I returned it I got all my money back! hehehe what a deal!