Hey guys, 1995 F-150, 302 V8, 95k miles. Compressor clutch is squeaking pretty loudly. I'm going to try to just replace the clutch, but does the freon need to be evacuated to replace just the clutch? Thanks in advance.

 

No.

 

No, you shouldn't need to drain the system, but if your A/C isn't blowing terribly cold or there are some rotty/cracked hoses to the compressor, it would be a good time to service it while the clutch and belt are off.

Just FYI Freon(a.k.a R-12 Refrigerant) was done away with in.....1994 was it? The reservoir on my '93 says R-12 so I'm not totally sure, but I imagine your truck takes R-134, the replacement. Hippies started b*tching about the chlorofluorocarbons that it was made of.

You can recharge it easily enough yourself, you can buy cans prefit with special fittings at most auto stores full of R-134.

 

Hey Steve and RW, thanks for the replies and the diagram. R-134a it is. Thats just the thing, it blows ice, but don't know if it needs recharged. It's just that the clutch squeals like a stuck pig when I turn the ac on. Also, I need a front brake job done, so am on kind of a budget, and she's my daily 50 mile round trip driver. So thats why I want to go the clutch replacement route. Also noticed a nice little screw head in the left rear tire today too, so when it rains...But thanks both of you, and this is THE PLACE to get answers and help.

 

Bah, I've picked up tons of screws and nails before and never any problems. Just pulled whatever it was out, stuck one of those rubber patch things into the hole, and all was well for thousands more miles, and the tire never leaked. The patches typically come in a kit with a hole drill, a tool that looks like the head of a giant needle, a tube of rubber cement and several patches.

Does the A/C squeal right when you engage it and then stop, or whenever the A/C is running? If it's just a momentary squeal the belt may be worn out or excessively loose, since the a/c engaging is a pretty good load. Otherwise the clutch is gone, or more specifically a bearing in the clutch is gone.

 

Hey RaWarrior, yeah, i just picked up one of those repair kits at my local AutoZone. The one with the puncture screw and plug inserts. The squeal starts as soon as the AC is turned on, so it is the clutch. I just replaced the serpentine belt not even 3,000 miles ago, so that is fine. The clutch removal tool the guy showed me at AZ, I dont think that will work as there are no holes on the front of my clutch and the tool has 2 screws to hold the plate in place as you take out the center screw. Are there other tools to hold the plate in place to enable you to take the screw out? Thanks again.

 

Hey guys I need help BIG TIME. OK, I went and pulled the old compressor clutch off. Looked a little toasted inside the clutch. Put the new one on with little problems except that damn C ring with the 2 little eyes on it. Started it up, no problems. Then turned on the AC. Problems!!! The clutch would engage, then stop turning, then engage, then stop, etc., etc. Well, then I turned the AC up to Max and thats when it started to smoke and really squeal. So shut er down. What the heck is going on? Did I maybe tighten the plate screw to tight? Does it need to be recharged? Is the Compressor shot too? Wednesday I am taking it in for a front brake job, so will maybe have them look at it if I don't hear anything back on this post. Thanks again, in advance.

 

how do u remove this a/c compressor. I think mine is defective, it seems that when I tried to refill the R-134 the other day it blew ice cold for about a day then I found green fluid sprayed inside the engine compartment. It looked like majority of the is leaking from the compressor clutch. Does this sound right? I think I can find one cheaper from a truck being parted out.

 

That suggests low charge, but get a pro to put some gauges on it to be sure.Did you set the air gap as described in the caption of that diagram?

 

Steve, whats the clutch AIR GAP?????? Thanks.

 

The gap between the clutch & the pulley face.

 

Hey Steve, thanks for the reply. There is space between the clutch and face plate. I can see daylight. Probably about a dime thick or more. Of course the face plate feels like its spring loaded. Am hoping its low on 134a or that I screwed the face plate screw on too tight. Don't know. Hope to find out tomorrow when I take it in for the front brake job. And now the wife's 02 Windstar is on the fritz and sitting in a shop. Will run for a while then quit all by its lonesome. Thank God for AAA towing.

 

Hey Steve or RaWarrior, one more question before I face the music tomorrow morning at the repair shop. There is a small tank with a moving arm that has a white tube coming out of it at the very top left hand corner of the engine compartment as your looking under the hood. This small white tube goes into a black-taped bundle of other wires and leads to wherever. Anyway, as I was poking around in there today, I noticed that this small white hose had broken off and hanging down, from drying out from heat I guess. So I drilled out the rubber tube that the hose went into and stuck it back in. Now, when I turned on the AC, the clutch did its usual squealing and killed the engine. What is this small tank? My Haynes manual makes no mention of it AT ALL. Thanks again.

 

Well, just got the bad news from the repair shop. It's bad bearings in the compressor itself thats causing the clutch to bind up on itself. With the front brake job and the AC job, @ $1100. Yeefreakinhaw!!!

 

The "small tank" is a vacuum switch for the HVAC system. The white vacuum line tends to get rotty from the light that "leaks" between the gap of the hood+air intake panel. The arm moves the doors and crap inside the dashboard. There is another one of these diaphragms under the dashboard, passenger side though that one rarely ever goes bad. The actual "thing" (I have no idea what it's actually called) rarely breaks, the line rots away and leaks. I fixed mine(caused a faint whistling on any position) with some quik-seal and duck tape, though it hadn't rotted completely off yet.

Bad bearings? Not a whole lot you can do about that. Unless you're really experienced with this stuff, I wouldn't attempt to swap bearings.