Hey guys, I was hoping to get some suggestions. On my drive from Tucson to Phoenix, AZ last week the AC in my 97 F150 went out. I thought that maybe it needed recharged so I got a can of R-134a and filled it up. The AC worked well for the first 40 miles of the trip back to Tucson but soon quit again. When I got back into Tucson I turned the AC off and rolled the window down. I noticed that there was a blowing/whooshing sound coming from the passenger side engine compartment. The past few days I started noticing a rattling sound as well. I popped the hood this afternoon and saw that the compressor clutch was rapidly engaging/disengaging while the AC was turned off.

I'm short on cash and would like to fix this myself. I'm wondering if it sounds more like the clutch has gone out, or if there's something else going on, too. I'm concerned about the blowing/whooshing sound since I don't see how a bad clutch would cause that.

Thanks!

 

Loosen the Bolt holding the clutch hub. If it stop engaging just add shims.

 

No. Just find out where it is leaking freon. Fix that, pull vacuum on system and refill. Dont add any shims to clutch. If you add freon and it cools good for a while then the only problem is a leak. Just a freaking leak. Dont loosen any bolts holding the clutch.
Good luck.

 

Here is a video of the compressor clutch at idle with the AC off. I unplugged the clutch and it continues to do this, so I'm fairly certain it is a mechanical issue with the clutch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQd5...ature=youtu.be

For now I'm going to just bypass the AC compressor altogether. What I can't find is whether or not it needs a shorter belt (I had hoped the serpentine belt routing diagram would list part numbers for each belt length).

Edit: Rockauto.com has a belt for the 7 pulley configuration. Problem solved.

 

He said the compressor clutch was rapidly engaging/disengaging while the AC was turned off.

 

You need to install another pulley to bypass compressor

Have you tried removing the center bolt and pull the clutch hub?

 

That pulley is used to completely replace the compressor. I'm not going to do that, because I'll eventually get it fixed. The sticker under the hood shows the routing used to bypass the compressor without using that extra pulley (and I found the appropriate belt to accomplish this task on Rockauto.com).

 

You just need to remove the nut and pry the clutch hub out to remove it from being stuck. It's only using a magnet to lock the clutch hub. If the hub runout of clearance you just need a shim or washer to maintain a gap

 

If the compressor is engaging and disengaging he needs to disconnect the power to the compressor to see if its a control switch issue or a clutch issue.

 

To clarify, when the compressor is disconnected the clutch should not engage at all. If it still engages, the outer disc(clutches generally have 3 components:outer disc, middle hub, inner magnet) is too tight against the middle hub plate and needs to be pulled out slightly to release pressure between the two surfaces. Usually don't see this on factory installs that were previously running correctly. Generally when the clutch goes bad, the compressor tries to engage but drags on the pulley making an awful racket or doesn't engage at all.

If the compressor doesn't engage at all while disconnected, the clutch is fine. You said its engaging and disengaging while the A/C is turned to the off position. Test the connector on the compressor with a test light to see if its still being powered while turned to the off position. Your problem may be in the cab with the control unit.