Lincoln LS 2001 V6 A/C Clutch Pulley question

[justini]

Hi, I heard a noise when I was stopped at a light in my car so I pulled over and popped the hood and here is what I saw:

20130416_193032 - YouTube

I beleive that is the A/C Clutch Pulley but I am not sure if it is suppose to spin freely, however when I turn the AC on it starts spinning normally... Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[oddball]

That certainly sounds terrible. With the clutch dragging, making the compressor spin slightly, the noise is probably the clutch. You may be able to adjust it, or may have to replace it. A good shop should be able to do that, and may even be able to do it without discharging the A/C system. Seems odd - usually the failure is the other way around - with the A/C on, the clutch isn't able to fully engage!

With the A/C off, the clutch should be fully disengaged - the pulley spins freely and the compressor does not turn.

 

[joegr]

Yes, you need to fix that. It will just tear itself up if you don't, and it may take something else with it when it flies apart.

It may be as simple as adding one more shim washer. I would first try that, because that should be possible to do with the compressor still in the car, and if you do it yourself, the cost is pennies (if you don't count the $20 clutch wrench that you probably don't have).

If that doesn't do it, you may want to consider changing out both the compressor and the clutch as a unit. If that's the original compressor and you plan to keep the car a while yet, that might be a good idea.

 

[justini]

thanks for the info

 

[justini]

Yes, you need to fix that. It will just tear itself up if you don't, and it may take something else with it when it flies apart.

It may be as simple as adding one more shim washer. I would first try that, because that should be possible to do with the compressor still in the car, and if you do it yourself, the cost is pennies (if you don't count the $20 clutch wrench that you probably don't have).

If that doesn't do it, you may want to consider changing out both the compressor and the clutch as a unit. If that's the original compressor and you plan to keep the car a while yet, that might be a good idea.

So I should get something like this then http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=3254205&cc=1373903 because it is Remanufactured w/ Clutch ? Is that correct

 

[oddball]

I prefer the guys at ackits.com as they choose better rebuild companies, and I've had issues in the past with Four Seasons units.
If you don't have the equipment to do a A/C purge and fill then you should probably hand this job to a shop or a buddy.