A/c clutch issues (1 Viewer)

[texdoc77]

I recently replaced my ac clutch after it went out. It was crispy and crunchy. The new clutch seems to work ok clutch does not spin when ac is off, engages quickly and quietly when ac is on and blows cold air. But after I turn on the ac in about 3 minutes I get a burning rubber smell. Everything keeps working. Any ideas?

 

[DivByZero]

If I was to guess, I'd say it points to a problem with your ac compressor. The old clutch failing might have been a symptom rather than the ultimate cause. I'd guess your compressor isn't turning smoothly/consistently and is putting up resistance, causing your fan belt to slip on the pulley, and putting a lot of strain on your poor ac clutch, which would explain why the last one gave out. Pull the fan belt and see if you can observe damage to the belt or signs of rubber/burning on the ac pulley.

 

[jpoole]

Check the air gap on the disengaged clutch from side to side.

The "crunchy" old bearing may have spun on the nose of the compressor and worn the aluminum down. This is a common outcome of a failed bearing on one of these and while the compressor may work fine otherwise, the clutch may not last as a result. If the nose of the compressor is worn such that the two parts of the clutch are out of alignment then when you engage the clutch there can be extra friction as the clutch spins and tries to keep the two parts together. Checking the freeplay on a disengaged clutch side to side can be an easy way to see if this is what's going on.

If this is the issue note that it's possible to use some aluminum weld stick to build the nose of the compressor up, file it back to proper shape and reduce or eliminate the problem. I got an extra year or so out of the AC on my 1FZ by doing this before replacing the whole system. Take care to put as little heat into the nose as you can get away with.

 

[texdoc77]

Thanks for the replies. I suspected it might be either the nose or the compressor itself.