Long story short - grinding sound under the hood, turned off all accessories & pressed on as no good pull-offs. At a stop sign 3/4 mile from work blue smoke coming out of grill. Drive the 3/4 mile, park, shut car (99 lincoln tc) off, pop hood & see blue smoke coming from ac compressor, clutch is glowing red hot.
When I replaced the a/c compressor clutch in the spring I crawled under twice to do the "matchbook cover test" so I don't know why it decided to try to combust.
What are the odds that I can just replace the compressor clutch & it will work? Would that much heat damage the compressor? Should I replace the whole compressor/clutch assembly instead of the clutch?
There would be a ton of question marks on the survival of the compressor.
Your adjustment in summer probably was too tight. With colder temps the gap shrank and it siezed such that even after heating up it couldn't release.
Probable failures at this point are:
- bearings toast
- seals toast
- clutch activation electronics toast
- warped metal
Try new clutch only if it is fast easy R&R. Otherwise toss whole compressor and build up from new.
Did the clutch get hot because it was trying to drive a seized compressor, or has the bearing gone out of it? If its got too little air gap, it will just drag the compressor along with it. Shouldn't burn anything up, I think.
The compressor is junk. Replace it all.
I don't know & don't know how to tell.
If I turn ON the defrost the compressor screams & yells. If I turn it OFF it is louder than normal with an unhappy bearing sound.
So if the sound isn't as bad with the compressor off, is it the compressor?
EDIT- didn't see Bravenrace's response prior to post.
06HHR
Reader
11/25/14 1:17 p.m.
In reply to etifosi:
Streetwiseguy is asking the right question. Sounds like the compressor seized up and took the clutch with it. I agree with Bravenrace, I'd replace it all.
Yeah, sounds like a seized compressor that cooked the clutch and bearings with it. Replace the whole thing, or you'll probably just be chasing problems with it until you've rebuilt the whole thing anyway.
Looks like rock auto has a kit for less than $150: compressor, accumulator/drier, o-rings & orifice tip. O-rings and orifice tips....o-rings and orifice tips. Sounds like something Karnak the Magnificent would say.
EDIT- should I also be replacing the condenser?
Depends, is the orifice tube screen covered in metal? If so everything that isn't replaced has to be flushed.
If the compressor still attempts to engage, as evidenced by the increased shrieking noises, you can probably just pull the electrical plug on the clutch and go for a while. The bearing is not happy, and there's probably bits of clutch internals scraping on rotating parts, but it may have a few emergency miles in it yet. If you drive it and the noises get worse, that's bad. If they get better, its wearing the rubbing stuff away and you are good to go.
You're probably already on this one, but don't forget to replace your belt. If the clutch was that hot, it's toast even if it looks good. You wouldn't believe the trash that people reuse as a belt after replacing an alternator or idler haha.
-Your friendly Gates injuneer
