AC Fan Clutch?

[tucker74]

Help me out here guys - AC compressor is squealing on a friends '96 LX, but sometimes it enguages fine and blows cold. I think I remember reading something about the fan clutch bearings going out on these...anyone?

Compressor can't be bad if it's cooling huh?

Tucker

 

[mtycruiser]

squealing is usually from:
1) loose belt (easy fix, tighten belt)
2) electric clutch slipping ( bigger problem : not enough electric power to the clutch, oil/grease in clutch surface, compressor too heavy, toasted clutch)

Check from easy to most difficult, in my experience, if the clutch is bad, you end up changing the compresor and spending a lot of $$$$

 

[NovaFZJ80]

think the 93 LC i bought back in Dec..the fan clutch is not working??? compressor ???... turn the a/c on.. no cold air, just hot air....nothing kicking in, or rpms jumping up from the a/c being turned on...is that a sign of a bad fan clutch ?? luckily driving my civic since it has A/C rest of this balmy humid summer in Wash DC......

 

[mabrodis]

think the 93 LC i bought back in Dec..the fan clutch is not working??? compressor ???... turn the a/c on.. no cold air, just hot air....nothing kicking in, or rpms jumping up from the a/c being turned on...is that a sign of a bad fan clutch ?? luckily driving my civic since it has A/C rest of this balmy humid summer in Wash DC......

Well it depends, the system could be trying to engage the a/c clutch but it's toast...or the system could be protecting itself because of a low freon level which then it will not engage the a/c clutch.

Mine is the 2nd of those, the system was broken, therefore the freon sensor (pressure sensor) reads no pressure and therefore the logic will not let the compressor kick-in. There is nothing in the vehicle that tells you that, the light on the heater control goes on, but just the compressor doesn't kickin...sounds like what your's is.

I'm sure that pressure sensor could go bad, to where it thinks the system is not pressurized but it really is...

I think when the compressor kicks in is also when the idle will go up, since my idle doesn't go up on mine when the compressor is locked out, probably same logic controls both.

Good Luck...

 

[Beowulf]

Tucker,

Try replacing all the belts with new OEM. It probably needs it anyway and might fix the problem.

-B-