New AC compressor clutch out

Tiny
CANNON1349
  • MECHANIC
  • 1995 CHEVROLET 1500
  • 4.3L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • 325,000 MILES
Installed new air compressor, drier, condenser and orifice tube. Vacuumed down and recharged fine. Two weeks later the clutch is rattling and there is shredded metal around it. I hear there is an adjustment that can be made on these. Is it worth doing that?
Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 AT 8:59 AM

68 Replies

Tiny
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  • 52,796 POSTS
Good afternoon,

Since there is metal, no. The clutch is no good. You will need to replace the compressor again.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-air-conditioner-compressor

What were the pressures after you installed all the new parts?

Roy
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Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 AT 9:54 AM
Tiny
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33-35 on the low and 250 on the high.
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Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 AT 9:55 AM
Tiny
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Sounds okay. The low side is a little high. It should be 25-30 rock solid. It should never vary at all.

Roy
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Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 AT 10:07 AM
Tiny
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There is an option to buy a clutch assembly is it worth that?
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Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 AT 10:08 AM
Tiny
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The new compressor is warranty anyway. I would just change it out instead of spending more money.

Roy
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Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 AT 10:12 AM
Tiny
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How much oil goes into the compressor? 4oz? The paper in the kit says 8 oz. For the system, so 4 for the compressor, 2 for the accumulator and 2 for the condenser? The compressor says it has 3 oz in it and to fill to manufacturers recommendations.
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Thursday, August 8th, 2019 AT 7:35 AM
Tiny
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Okay, below is the spec for the oil just for the compressor.

Roy

The Harrison HT-6 compressor system used on all models requires polyalkaline glycol (PAG) refrigerant oil in the quantities listed below:
- Without Aux. A/C - 240 ml (8 fl oz)
- With Aux. A/C - 330 ml (11 fl oz)
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Thursday, August 8th, 2019 AT 7:39 AM
Tiny
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8 oz of oil for the compressor? That's all the kit comes with.
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Thursday, August 8th, 2019 AT 7:40 AM
Tiny
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That is the spec right out of Alldata.

Roy
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Thursday, August 8th, 2019 AT 7:44 AM
Tiny
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Well put a new compressor on it. And immediately the clutch on this one started scraping and shredding.
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Sunday, August 11th, 2019 AT 2:56 PM
Tiny
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Can you upload a video of what you see?

Roy
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Sunday, August 11th, 2019 AT 3:12 PM
Tiny
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Customer left. But it would scrape when you turned it on, run quietly, and when it turned off the clutch would scrape and move a little bit with the pulley. Metal shavings too. They bought the same brand as the last one, cause it was under warranty. They decided to save up for an AC Delco one
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Sunday, August 11th, 2019 AT 3:14 PM
Tiny
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That is an excellent idea.

Roy
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Sunday, August 11th, 2019 AT 3:18 PM
Tiny
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However these style compressors have an air gap that can be adjusted. Do not if it's worth adjusting but I don't have the tools to do it.
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Sunday, August 11th, 2019 AT 3:20 PM
Tiny
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The spec is.017.

Roy
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Sunday, August 11th, 2019 AT 3:23 PM
Tiny
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Got a compressor on there, and now it won't work. It will only turn on when I run a jump wire to the sensor that plugs into the back of the compressor. It plugs into an orange switch that I transfered from the old one.
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Monday, September 9th, 2019 AT 2:48 PM
Tiny
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That is a high-pressure switch. It is a normally closed switch. If you have to jump it, the switch is no good.

Roy
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Monday, September 9th, 2019 AT 3:16 PM
Tiny
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But jumping it engages the clutch, even if the AC button is off and even if the truck is off.
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Monday, September 9th, 2019 AT 3:35 PM
Tiny
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Again, it is a normally closed switch. If you jump it, the switch is bad. It only opens when the high pressure exceeds 375 lbs. To protest the compressor.

Roy
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Monday, September 9th, 2019 AT 3:38 PM
Tiny
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How do you know if it's a high pressure cut-out or a low-pressure cut-out switch? There are many options. The color of this one looks orange.
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Monday, September 9th, 2019 AT 4:12 PM

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