I started hearing like a clicking noise not too long ago. Thought it was a loose nut or something caught in the grille. Lately it's gotten worse and I noticed one afternoon it suddenly stopped when I turned off the A/C and started again when I turned it back on. I searched the problem and so far from what I read, its a bad pulley/clutch assy? Is $170 the right price for this? I was hoping to get my bumper painted and HIDs when my tax returnr came in, but this may take all the fun away from it

 

I paid about $100 (including shipping)for genuine Motorcraft parts (clutch hub and the pulley) from Rockauto this winter.

If the clicking stopped only when the A/C was turned off, I suspect you may have more problems then that....

Pulley bearing failure doesn't really care if the A/C is on or not.

The clutch hub usually fails first by wearing (intermittent or no engagement) or by having the flex plate separate (causes rattling noise when off and very loud engagement noises).

I'd get a mechanic's stethoscope onto that compressor to see if the noise is internal.

Steve

 

Well last night I noticed it rattled all the way home (30 or so miles) even as I turned the AC on and off, and floor, and heat, etc. So is 170,000 miles normal for AC clutch failure? As soon as my dad gives me they keys, everything has fallen apart on my truck, wtf?

Oh well. 10 years, what can you expcect?

 

Well. my clutch plate fell apart at around 155K...

Mine rattled for awhile, too. It ended up disintegrateding, locked up the pulley bearing, and locked the motor up so tight the truck got a ride home on a flat bed. If I hadn't waited, I could have gotten by with only the hub and a much simpler repair.

If the plate is bad, don't wait too long..... I'd suggest removing the clutch hub until you can get a replacement. Don't loose the shims and the bolt, replacement clutches don't include them unless you purchase the whole kit.

Steve

 

Well, my dad, is being one of those: "If it ain't broke, dont fix it guys" so he just told me wait until it breaks completely. Now that it's my truck, he dosen't give a damn. Bet if this happened to his car, he'd be all over it like white on rice. It started up (lets be safe here) lets say a week ago. How long do you say will be the max time to get it fixed? Can't I just bypass the serpentine belt by the compressor and give me more time?

 

Just remove the clutch plate. It's free and you won't have to spend $$$ on a belt you don't need. All you need is an 8mm wrench. Turn the ign switch to run (without starting), turn A/C on. Crawl under there and loosen/remove the bolt (the hub should be locked to the pulley). Switch the IGN switch OFF, then remove the hub (it should release when power is removed.

Mine lasted a couple of months of irregular use after the problem started.

YMMV.