FJ60 A/C Clutch Removal

[cbmontgo]

Well, I was driving down the highway today in the 60 and suddenly I heard the dreaded squeal under my hood and smelled burning rubber. I knew right away that it has to be my A/C, so I turned it off and the sound/smell went away.

I thought at first that the compressor had locked up, but I reached down when I got home and could turn the compressor. I think now that my clutch is the culprit, which obviously made the belt squeal.

Questions:

1. How do you remove the clutch? I know there is a 12mm nut on the front of the compressor, but does that remove the clutch and compressor wheel?

2. Can this be done with the compressor charged and installed or do I need to purge the system and remove the compressor?

Any help would be appreciated.

Carson

 

[nymbert]

I see that there were no responses to your thread.
Were you able to fix the problem? I have the same issue and hope that it is just the clutch and it's an easy fix

 

[cruiser_guy]

Make sure you have a long reach on your snap ring pliers. The 12mm nut loosens off the front of the clutch but not the pulley or the clutch itself. For those there are snap rings that need to be removed. It'll be agrivating but you do not need to discharge to replace the clutch.
You'll find it easiest to loosen the compressor from the mounting (DO NOT loosen or remove the hoses!!) and point the clutch up so you can see what you're doing. Remove the 12mm nut and keep track of the washers, they are needed for the proper spacing if you reuse the same parts (ie: just replacing the electric clutch magnet). From there on it's just snap rings.

 

[nymbert]

Thanks for the info!
Looks like it will be next weekends project.

 

[Ruffy]

Just be careful when reinstalling the nut. They do not need a great deal of tension. Usually a nylock nut is used. The shafts are not generally hardened and break if too much tension is applied to the nut..
Cheers

 

[KLF]

I'm in the middle of trying to rebuild a compressor now, it's starting to piss me off.

The 12mm nut just holds the front half of the clutch on, the FSM shows needing a puller but I've pulled 2 of them off now very easily.

Then the snap ring hell starts. Make sure you have GOOD snap ring pliers, those are some very stong snap rings. My pliers apparently suck, I'm heading out this morning to try to find a better set.

My guess is the bearing inside the rotor has seized. Once you get the inner snap ring out, the rest should be easy.

The front seal is leaking in my compressor, I have it out and in a vise now. Try as I have, I can't get the seal out. Has anybody here done this?

 

[Nedshead]

I see you havn't had a reply to your questions. Have you made any progress? I think my compressor bearings may be nearing failure. The compressor is squealing a bit when it;s on and the belts not slipping.

John

 

[KLF]

The bearings are spinning all the time, whether the AC is on or not. If it's squeeling only when engaged, then the clutch is probably slipping. There's a test in the FSM with a feeler gauge to see if it's worn. You may be able to pull off just the front of the clutch (the piece behind the 12mm nut) and swap out a thinner shim washer behind it.

 

[cbmontgo]

Well, I bought a used compressor from Mace and bought new o-rings and a new dryer at Toyota, but I have been too busy to install it. The 60 has been mothballed for a couple of months, but hopefully I will get it done soon.

I am not sure what exactly happened to my compressor. It actually still cools normally for about a minute, but then it starts making some very scary noises. It began as a whine, then a squeal, and the other day it made a clunking sound, so I am not going to turn it on again. Used ones are realtively inexpensive, so if I can get another year out of a used one, I'll be happy.

I'm thinking that when this one fails, I am going to bite the bullet and get a new OEM one and locate some R12 and have a new system.

 

[Nedshead]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to check my FSM.

cb - Its Clunking??.. dude that sounds like real bad news...

Any idea what an OEM compressor might run?? How much did your dryer cost?

When I sort out my noisy AC onmy 87 I can try and find out why my 81 is not blowing cold... or I think I might just sell it.

John

 

[cruiser_guy]

You DON'T need an OEM compressor if the pulleys are all OK. The OEM compressor is a generic Nippondenso compressor found on many different Japanese cars.
When I did mine I went for a walk in the wreckers and found that many years of Acura's use the same one. I went to NAPA and got a compressor for an "Acura" for $200 and it's been working just fine. You will need to change out the pulley for the right offset so just buy a compressor without the clutch if your clutch is OK.

 

[cbmontgo]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to check my FSM.

cb - Its Clunking??.. dude that sounds like real bad news...

Any idea what an OEM compressor might run?? How much did your dryer cost?

When I sort out my noisy AC onmy 87 I can try and find out why my 81 is not blowing cold... or I think I might just sell it.

John

The OEM compressor and clutch are somewhere around $ 550-600 with my discount at Toyota. The dryer is about $ 30. O-rings are a few bucks for a pack.

Yeah, I am going to swap the bitch out, rather than wasting time trying to find out what is causing the problem inside it. Used compressors are cheap enough that I have that luxury. I have a few in my garage now; they make good doorstops.