How to Change an Air Conditioning Clutch

The life span and overall maintenance of the air conditioning clutch can have a lot of impact on the life and efficiency of the vehicle's entire air conditioning system. It is important to understand how to inspect and change your vehicle's air conditioning clutch.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Let the engine cool completely before working under the hood. Disconnect your battery terminal, starting with the negative charge first. You need to get to the compressor. The electric clutch is located within the compressor. The entire area will have to be replaced.

2. Use a refrigerant recovery machine to recover the R134-a, a chemical similar to Freon, from the air conditioner system. If you do not have, or can't get the refrigerant recovery machine, take the vehicle to an air conditioning mechanic to have them recover the chemical. This needs to be done before any of the hoses are unhooked. It is dangerous if breathed in.

3. Detach the hoses connected to the air conditioning and heating system. Disconnect the electric clutch wire that leads to the compressor. Unhook any other items keeping the compressor in the car. Take it out and inspect for excessive corrosion or other damage. Place the new compressor in the same place where the old came out.

4. Watch for the back spacing when reinstalling the clutch. This area is extremely important to maintain, as too little space can cause the compressor to run consistently and the clutch to burn out. Reconnect all the wiring and hoses to the new compressor. Reconnect the battery terminal and start the vehicle to test the new compressor. For the electric clutch to be working properly, the a/c should be on and blowing and the inner hub of the pulley should be turning.