A/C clutch/bearing replacement

littleturner76 · 05-12-2009, 08:40 PM

I have 2 questions concerning my XJ.

should the a/c compressor/clutch be coming on and off even if the a/c is not on? this is my 2nd XJ and both did this.

Next the clutch bearing is rubbing like metal to metal, more so when the a/c is on. the a/c works great. but it is getting louder by the day. Is this something I can change without getting a new compressor? If so where and how much should I expect?

2001 xj classic 6cyl.

AZ Jeff · 05-12-2009, 10:05 PM

Repair/replace clutch bearing. Search Sanden.com for shop manual on how to do so.

littleturner76 · 05-17-2009, 03:45 PM

just a quick update. found a compressor 45 min from the house picked it up for $35. Removed the clutch and installed it on my a/c compressor wnd it works perfect. never had to unplug/disconnect anything from the system, just unbolted the compressor to fit the puller on. I had never done this before and it turned out that putting the serpentine belt back on was the hardest part.

Holder350 · 05-17-2009, 03:57 PM

Jeeps like most newer vehicles run the AC when the defroster is on, this pulls moist air out of the vehicle and thru the evaporator where the moisture condenses onto it. The air then travels thru the heater core heating it and then the warm dry air is blown out onto the windshield (or your soggy muddy self) drying it off.

mack2182 · 06-10-2009, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littleturner76

just a quick update. found a compressor 45 min from the house picked it up for $35. Removed the clutch and installed it on my a/c compressor wnd it works perfect. never had to unplug/disconnect anything from the system, just unbolted the compressor to fit the puller on. I had never done this before and it turned out that putting the serpentine belt back on was the hardest part.

I'm glad to hear that was easy. I'm planning on doing that this weekend to my 2000 XJ. I was just planning on buying a new bearing. Do you think its easier to find a scrapped compressor and remove the clutch assembly as you did?

littleturner76 · 06-11-2009, 07:24 PM

good luck on finding the bearing, better yet good luck getting the old one out it is staked in pretty good. I ordered just the bearing from autozone, thinking that i could change it, and it was the wrong one. I am sure it can be done, but I could not have changed out just the bearing. good luck and let us know how it turns out.

multmigs · 06-11-2009, 08:10 PM

Can anyone advise me of the symptom of the bearing going bad, my ac works fine but everytime the car sits for a bit and I first turn it on there is a really bad screetchy type sound from the compressor area, typically lasts about 1-2 minutes goes away after that and doesn't come back till next time it sits...

littleturner76 · 06-16-2009, 03:50 PM

i will try..... My problem started with the sound......metal to metal and was louder when the a/c clutch would engage. Over time it got louder and louder until one day i opened the hood and the dang thing was smoking..... So, after you run it for a while..... be careful, but I think you could feel the pulley/clutch assy and see if it is hot (with the engine off ofcourse). You could also aquire a mechanic stethescope and then you could listen for the friction. Also open the hood and watch as the a/c clutch engages, mine was so bad that when it engaged the pulley/clucth assy would tilt, good thing it did not let go it would have been bad news if it broke loose. Last thing I would say is loosen the belt and use your "german wrench" (hand) and give it a good shaken and see if it is loose. good luck

2001JeepSport · 06-17-2009, 09:04 AM

From my experience....if the compressor has over 100k miles on it and it's not just the clutch. Time for a new one.

I agree the clutch is easy if you can get one from a used one, might be worth it and patch you up until the compressor dies.

If the bearing has gone bad, you are really taking a chance. Few reasons why...

1. The bearing is hard to come by locally and not cheap (almost same price of a new compressor)
2. Replacing a bearing on a 100k mile compressor is a gamble, all that work to have the actual compressor fail anyway.

If you choose to do it anyway...why not purchase the new compressor, use it for parts. Remove the pulley and the clutch and install it on the old one.

If and when the compressor fails you already have a new compressor, only problem, you have to remove the pulley and reinstall.

Thats the route I was going but the OEM one started hissing as soon as I unbolted it and got ready to remove the pulley....

.

littleturner76 · 06-17-2009, 07:32 PM

I agree with having a spare for parts I did the same but bought a used compressor off ebay for $35.00 and removed the clutch assy.

bikedude189 · 06-17-2009, 08:23 PM

anyone that needs to you can find bearings from mcmaster-carr. they are 55mm O.D. by 35mm I.D. and 10mm wide. you need 2 of them since the bearing that is in the clutch is 20mm wide. i have done exactly this with great results. and about $20, whereas the bearing supplier wanted $130 per bearing...

AZ Jeff · 06-17-2009, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikedude189

anyone that needs to you can find bearings from mcmaster-carr. they are 55mm O.D. by 35mm I.D. and 10mm wide. you need 2 of them since the bearing that is in the clutch is 20mm wide. i have done exactly this with great results. and about $20, whereas the bearing supplier wanted $130 per bearing...

Good to know.

Another forum member by the name of "Ed Rico" reports that the bearing is a NSK number 35BD219DUK. Any decent bearing supply house should be able to cross-reference the NSK number to other brands.

**Ed Rico** · 06-18-2009, 03:28 PM

35BD219DUK was the actual bearing that came off the A/C clutch pulley on my '98 XJ. This now cross-references to a new NSK bearing with a different suffix that is otherwise dimensionally identical to my original bearing. I found it at the local NSK distributor here in Chicago for $55. AutoZone had 2 bearings listed that were both wrong and Advance had one in their catalog for $90.

With regard to the comments implying that a/c clutch bearing replacement is difficult/expensive/high-risk, nothing could be farther from the truth. If your compressor is in good shape (the Sanden has a well-deserved reputation for being tough and durable), there's no reason to replace the entire compressor assembly for a bad bearing. Removing the pulley from the compressor snout is very simple (held on with one snap ring) and the bearing comes out of the pulley without much effort once you grind down the stakes that retain the bearing in the pulley. Some pulleys reportedly have the clutch bearing retained by a snap ring, if so the job is even easier. You won't find a replacement compressor w/clutch for anywhere near the cost of the bearing alone and the repair is straightforward without need to discharge the system. As pointed out by AZ Jeff, the service manual is available for download on the Sanden.com website.

-Ed Rico

littleturner76 · 06-18-2009, 03:31 PM

Was it hard to remove the old bearing? when I took mine apart the bearing just fell out (lucky I made it home) but the outer race is staked in pretty tight. That is when I went on the hunt for a used compressor, because I did not think I would be able to removed the old bearing without ill reversible damage.

**Ed Rico** · 06-18-2009, 03:47 PM

That's essentially what my bearing looked like as well. It is a double-row ball bearing and it was loose enough that all the balls fell out while I was taking it off the compressor. I used a rotary file on an air die grinder to smooth out the upset metal on the pulley where the bearing was staked in place, then drove the outer race out of the pulley with a hammer and punch. Stick the new bearing in the freezer overnight, the resulting microscopic shrinkage will make it a bit easier to get it seated in the pulley. If you don't mind removing the pulley from the compressor snout but don't want to mess with the actual bearing removal and replacement, you could probably take the pulley and new bearing to a local machine shop and get them to take care of that end, so you'd only have to stick the pulley back on the compressor and reinstall the clutch. All in all, it's not particularly difficult to remove the old bearing race once you have the staked portions ground down.

-Ed Rico