Replacing 2nd gen A/C Clutch question for experienced diyers
 

My a/c clutch burnt up the other day. the pulley bearing maybe fried bc its seems to shimmy back and forth a bit, makes a grindy noise. the gap on the clutch and pulley seems way out of spec also, up to an 1/8in id guess.

so assuming my compressor is good (i will check my freon later, the clutch spins smoothly, so i think its ok.

Is it decently easy to get the old a/c clutch off, and the replacement on with the compressor still attached? there looks to be a plastic panel that give almost strait on access from my initial examination.

I ve changed my a/c compressor on my former honda civic a few times, and my current Honda Odyssey by my self. i have a vac puller and guages...

if its a pita that requires removal of the entire compressor to operate i will prob just get a new compressor w clutch for the replacement...


Anybody tried this, swapping just the A/c Clutch while compressor is still mounted?

I replace clutch and coil sets "on the car" on just about all Hondas of the last 20 or so years. Sometimes the compressor has to be unbolted from the engine for room, but the job is usually doable without touching the freon.



If you can see it all through the wheel well you shouldn't have a big problem replacing it. (I don't remember how the coil connects or grounds though, that might cause a snag)

Snap ring pliers will be needed (might want a variety to choose from), and feeler gauges for setting up clutch air gap.. (I actually use a dial indicator)



I almost always get the pulley removed by GENTLY using prybars, hooked prybars, wrecking bar, blocks of wood, etc.


EDIT: I am not a DIYer. I do it for a living.
Also, I can probably give a link to pics of the job on a Civic. Process is the same.

The air gap between the clutch plate and the compressor pulley was off that whenever the AC was used, it would work, but as the clutch cycled the compressor on and off eventually it will stop working. I used an impact driver to remove the nut securing the clutch plate to the compressor. I remove the shim that was located behind the clutch plate and replace the clutch plate. Turn the clutch plate to verify that it was not contacting the pulley, and replace the plastic access panel a,d tire that I removed. Started the engine and let the AC run. So far so good, the AC remains on all the time instead of shutting off after running for a few minutes. If this simple fix doesn't last I will just replace the clutch plate with a new clutch plate since the coil is still good.

thanks for the feedback.

any good recommendations for where to get parts from that will be decent? oem seems a lot higher than i initially thought...

so when it happened, i was on the free way, and i noticed smoke briefly, white smoke. does this mean the coil might be toasted? or does the clutch stick and burn or something? the pulley seems to shimmy around, does that mean the bearing or pulley is toasted?

OEM is probably your only choice for a clutch/pulley and coil by themselves.

Aftermarket almost never sells those separately, they will sell a complete compressor (sometimes of dubious quality).

There are plenty of Honda dealerships selling parts online (with parts catalogs) at wholesale prices though.
Here's a few online Honda dealers you can check out
hondapartsnow
hondapartscheap
bkhondaparts
hondaautomotiveparts
hondapartsconnection
.com
I'm sure there are more if you want to search

Smoke came from the Belt? Clutch? You'll have to figure that out when you dig in.
Sounds like the bearing inside the pulley is shot though.

Before you order anything, make sure the clutch hub/compressor shaft will still turn by hand.

so the compressor shaft WILL turn by hand, but i got around to hooking up my manifold gauge and i think i might just swap out the entire thing.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...2a9e56f49c.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...eef4c2a4df.jpg


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/f...9/applications


Video of noise and pulley movement:

Au Contraire This seller on eBay list a clutch assembly for our 2nd Generation fit for $60.00

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Compress...ally+Aspirated

Condition:
Remanufactured


Really? Who remans a clutch set? Ok.

Yea you can find someone that will sell almost anything online.


I meant you usually can't find this stuff at your aftermarket local box stores like Autozone, Pepboys, Oreilly, Napa, etc.

Apparently, they do they are a shop in California that remanufacture AC components. At least the remanufacture are Made in America.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...dccba1da9a.jpg



Who shops at the local box stores for stuff for their car??? I usually buy stuff online from dealers, or name aftermarket suppliers, not Duralast crap or Dorman made in China crap.

Time crunch. Work turnaround time, shipping time, and man hours for not only the work involved, but looking up the parts needed.

Because of the nature of the business I'm in, the work in our shop just can't wait for rockauto or ebay or amazon or others. If there's a problem with parts or whatever, that ties up cars for more days. And none of them will take a purchase order for payment.

Personally, I get the majority of my Honda parts from my dealership.
Also when I work on cars in my off hours, I usually need parts right freekin now and don't have the luxury of waiting for shipping, nor am I able to leave a car torn apart for days while I wait for parts.

Sometimes you can get quality parts from the box stores too. Usually by accident LOL

I just work on my fleet of car and friends and family. I will tell them what they need and where they can purchase the parts. Once they have the parts I can install the parts for them or show them how to remove their old parts and install the new parts. My neighbor needed a new set of key FOBs for her Toyota Sienna minivan, the dealer wanted close to $200.00 for each FOB. I informed her that the FOB can be purchased on Amazon for about $40.00 for two and that I can program the FOB once they arrive. She was surprised that it only took me 10 minutes to program her two new FOB to work with her van. If she had bought the FOBs at the dealer she would have paid close to $400.00. Another neighbor had a Nissan Murano in which the driver side window wouldn't roll down or up. Told her she needed a new or a good use driver side window switch assembly. She bought a used one on eBay and had it install again in about 10 minutes.