[Shotimes] A/C clutch noises

[Kevin & Cheryl Airth]

Leigh:
 Great information! Thanks for posting. I will certainly keep this!
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> Pete;
> The A/C clutch actually operates on metal to metal contact, there is no
> clutch material per see. However the metal wears away with age, hence the
> gap becoming too large. At some point the electro-magnet coil cannot
engage
> the clutch. Also at some point the steel bolts or rivets that hold the
> assembly together start scraping against the other surface. Hence the loud
> 1-2 sec squealing or scraping noise you hear, everytime the clutch cycles
> on. There are three solutions to the irritating noise: One is a new clutch
> assembly, at about $100-130, and that would last the longest. I put one of
> those on once and it out-lasted the compressor. You do ultimately need
both
> parts, but the part that wears the most is the outer piece that is the
> easiest to get off (for once). It's only $35-40 or so. It worked as well
as
> #1, but might not last as long. The other or pulley piece is very
difficult
> to get off with the compressor still in the car. The third way is to grind
> down the rivet ends on the outer piece with a dremel tool to give you
> 1/16-1/8 in clearance to eliminate the squealing. It's easy to get at and
> the Cost is $free. Life expectancy is unknown, but I've currently got 30k
on
> that same fix. It works as well as either of the first 2 methods. On
either
> repair you should re-shim the clutch gap to fix or prevent the
> non-engagement issue. And even after 380k in SHO's I've never had to
change
> the coil.
> Lee