Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

My fiancé and I were coming back from vacation yesterday and turned on the AC in her truck. The AC came on normal and it was very cold. We had it on max.

About five minutes later we heard what sounded like a moaning sound that only lasted a few seconds. We didn't know if it was our vehicle or one that was driving around us. AC was still cold. About five minutes later we heard the sound again for a few seconds and right after that noticed that the AC started cooling off until it was barely cool.

We stopped at a rest stop and I looked at the compressor and noticed that the clutch was not turning and that there was black rubbery looking stuff sprayed on components surrounding the compressor and sticking out of the perimeter of the clutch. I figured that the clutch had let go.

Today I checked to see if the clutch would still turn and I can turn it easily so I don't think the compressor is locked up. Am I on the right path with this guess or could the compressor still be damaged? Could the AC charge have leaked out if the clutch let go? I don't have any gauges that will work on the fittings on this system to see if I still have a charge.

My question is this if anyone knows, can the clutch on this compressor be replaced without discharging the AC system? The Ford dealer says no but someone on another forum says yes. This truck has the new 1234yf refrigerant and I'm not at all familiar with this new stuff or the system.

I have not found any shop that will attempt to fix this truck because of the new refrigerant other than the Ford dealer. I did find one guy that said he would look at it and if it looks like he can replace the clutch without evacuating or recharging the system, he would replace the clutch for us. This guy is an ex-Ford tech that went out on his own and opened up his own shop but is not currently setup to evacuate or recharge these new systems.

I would appreciate any advice. It looks like our options are pretty limited for getting this fixed. Thanks.

PS. Truck has the 5.0L V8.

Not every shop made the decision to shell out the bucks for even more equipment that would be 1234yf compliant. It is getting boring shelling out for the latest alphabet soup refrigerant that changes every 2 yrs. Also the last I knew the car's computer had to be connected to the 1234yf machine in order to be able to even charge it at all.

Hopefully someone else here can be more helpful

PS how many miles

Truck only has 32,800 miles on it but is out of warranty since it's almost four years old.

70monte wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 3:40 pmMy question is this if anyone knows, can the clutch on this compressor be replaced without discharging the AC system? The Ford dealer says no but someone on another forum says yes.

Typically an AC clutch alone costs almost as much as a new compressor with a clutch. I think this is a big reason that the entire compressor is typically replaced, for shop to be able to warranty the repair.

I know on my old 1988 Mazda truck I can R&R the AC clutch without removing the compressor; generally it's a matter of access that prevents similar.

I called the Ford dealer to see what the repair would cost and the clutch alone was $500 + and the entire compressor was $600-800 depending on which compressor it needed so I guess it would be a no brainer to replace the entire compressor.

It looks like the dealer may be the only place around here to fix it since none of the independent shops I've called will touch it and don't have the equipment to service it. The dealer said that the system must be evacuated to replace the clutch and another guy I talked to said the same thing.

The only reason I would think refrigerant needs reclaiming. Is it is "flammable". So more of a safety issue.

Tim wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:25 am The only reason I would think refrigerant needs reclaiming. Is it is "flammable". So more of a safety issue.

That might be. I looked up the clutch kit on Rock auto and it comes with the clutch and the pulley and another part so I don't know if removing these three components requires enough of the compressor to come apart to require an evacuation of the system.

Hi 70monte, this question is right up my alley! You can replace just the clutch if you can find those parts. Your failure sounds to me like the clutch was slipping and melted the rubber donut clutch isolator or the clutch coil insulation or both. The compressor looks to me like an internally controlled Denso variable, easy to change the clutch if there is enough space in front of the pulley to do the work. I would think if you have a clutch in hand and a truck with a melted clutch, and take these both to the repair shop, they might be willing.

I'm on the testing side of the auto AC industry, I have a 1234yf recovery machine, and nearly 80% of the tests I run these days are with 1234yf as opposed to 134a. It's not that different, but is very expensive. When we started testing with it, maybe in 2011 or so it was $5k for a 10lb bottle!

DetroitAC wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:31 am

Nice to see you again.

Hi Tim, long time no chatty.

I looked for that compressor on eBay, there are usually some used compressors, good shape from totalled trucks. It's a Denso, externally controlled variable, control valve is on sort of the back side, so most pictures don't show it. I would guess it's a Denso SAS, pretty much their latest, very very nice compressor.

If I were in your shoes I would buy one of these good lightly used units from eBay or a junkyard, pull the coil, pulley and clutch and replace it myself. There would be some fiddling around with clutch air gap spacers, you may get lucky and have it be OK, but you also may not want to deal with that, but a good AC shop could handle it.