AC Pulley Bearing Replacement (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jun 12, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
13
Location
Columbia, SC
I thought I'd put this thread together to link information from different thread about replacing the A/C pulley bearing and where to get parts.

First, here are the two threads about how to replace the bearing:
A/C Pulley Bearing Replacement Thread #1
A/C Pulley Bearing Replacement Thread #2

Next are some links to the cheap parts:
Cheap-ass Santech Bearing at AutoZone
Santech snap rings and shims at AutoZone

Here are links to get real Japanese Bearings:
Columbia, SC company, Bearing Distributors, who can get the NSK bearing
Anaheim, CA company, VXB, has their own bearing
Same CA company also carries the Japanese-made Nachi bearing

Here's my two-cents about the bearings:
The AutoZone bearing will last about a year. The bearing is cheaper than a new a/c clutch, but the snap rings are a PITA, so unless you are in a bind and need to replace it quickly, it's worth buying the Japanese bearing. However, the snap ring kit is worth it.

Bearing Distributors is local to me, and they are an authorized NSK distributor. They are more industrial-focused but were able to source the NSK bearing for $50 (including shipping since they don't stock automotive bearings). I'll pick mine up next week to replace the Santech bearing I put in about a year and a half ago. ;)

I've not ordered from VXB, but it is a possible alternative for another Japanese bearing rather than shady eBay resellers who might have counterfeit parts.

-Mike
 
This is timely - the hardest part of the job for me was getting the pulley off. I tried with a pry bar for a few hours and it wouldn't come off. I went and borrowed one of these from autozone, and it was a piece of cake. It's a tight fit in there, but it worked.

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-...s-a-c-clutch-pulley-puller/472357_0?rrec=true

For what it's worth, i bought the NSK bearing from amazon:

Amazon product ASIN B007WEOFVM . It fit and I don't have any reason to believe it is counterfeit, but use your own judgement
 
This one was ebay and worked well.
Shipped from St Louis
 
I also went with the NSK bearing , the pulley itself came off ok with a little prying and tapping, the snap ring was a major PITA , I finally got it off but found I had broken the end of the snap ring groove off. I had read here somewhere where a guy did the same thing and had to replace the compressor because of that. I didn’t want to do that if possible so I used max strength JB weld to put the piece back on. It appears the pulley bolt wouldn't let the pulley move anyway, but the repair worked and has been fine for over 10k miles. Replacing the clutch bearing is a WAY cheaper and easier solution to a noisy AC clutch but really be careful with that funky snap ring
 
This is timely - the hardest part of the job for me was getting the pulley off. I tried with a pry bar for a few hours and it wouldn't come off. I went and borrowed one of these from autozone, and it was a piece of cake. It's a tight fit in there, but it worked.

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-...s-a-c-clutch-pulley-puller/472357_0?rrec=true

For what it's worth, i bought the NSK bearing from amazon:

Amazon product ASIN B007WEOFVM . It fit and I don't have any reason to believe it is counterfeit, but use your own judgement
Thanks for sharing another option. And loaner tools are a lifesaver that's for sure!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom