Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

2003 Lincoln Town Car Signature

Background:
I was getting a loud whine when the clutch was engaged (not a grinding sound, a loud whine that varied in pitch with the RPMs). I replaced the pulley and clutch (OEM).... the clutch was pretty worn and grooved but the sound didn't change. Gapped properly.

I decided to let it go until the compressor decided it was done. Well, 2 nights ago I fire it up and a couple of minutes later I smelled something burning. Almost like an electrical smell but not quite, a little rubber burning kind of smell. I thought that the compressor shaft/bearing may have seized and the smell was the belt but it's spinning just fine when engaged. The smell has gone away.

The whining sound is now gone when the clutch is engaged, it's the quietest it's been in a long time The AC does not cycling any more. The air is cool (not cold) when driving but spend 1 minute at a stop light it gets warmer.

I think I just want to replace the compressor and be done with it.
Looking at this http://www.ackits.com/index.php?route=p ... t_id=44127 and am wondering if I need any other parts or if this will cover it (assuming no lines are damaged).

I am new to AC repairs but am pretty handy.

Any thoughts, advice, etc would be nice before I dive in head first

The clutch bearing "only" comes into play when the clutch is "disengaged". When engaged you have more load on the belt, etc.

The bearing was replaced (along with the clutch) a couple of months ago and nothing changed, until 2 days ago. I thought the noise could have been a worn clutch or bad pulley bearing. I replaced both and the noise was the same.

Is the noise really from the compressor? A lot of times one of the other pulleys will get noisier with the A/C on because of increased strain on the belt. Listen closely using a piece of hose to your ear to try to localize the noise.

If it is from inside the compressor, waiting for the compressor to blow up is going to make the repair more expensive, since you then have to deal with compressor debris in the system.

100% from the compressor but only when the clutch was engaged. I WD40ed all pulleys and moving parts trying to isolate the noise. The fact the loud whining noise stopped at the exact same time as the cold air stopped leads me back to a compressor failure but was hoping someone smarter than myself could confirm it

When I say it was a loud whine I mean it sounded like a jet engine LOL

Just went to the local autozone and they put one of those AC Pro DIY charging bottles with gauge, put the AC on max and the needle was well into the red zone. He said there was no loss in the charge, indicating it's not leaking, but more than likely a failure of the compressor internally.

Sound legit?

Autozone parts guy? AC Pro? See my tag sig line. Does not sound legit at all. I would be more interested in the high side than the low side on this one. If the compressor is not actually pumping, then the low side will show high pressure (into the red full). If it is pumping and the high side is going up, then I would like to see how the two sides compare. But without both pressures (a recover, weigh, and recharge would be great) we are basically taking guesses.

Just a quick follow up... I purchased the kit in my previous post. I had the system evacuated and after acquiring all of the necessary tools, parts, etc I replaced the compressor, dryer and orifice tube yesterday. I flushed all lines and condenser as well. So far so good!

The orifice tube was so clogged it was almost unrecognizable.

Since you ran the compressor in to the ground, there will be a lot of junk in the condenser.

You may find the orifice tube screen clogged again from that.