I was driving home from work on the highway when all of a sudden I hear something bouncing around under my hood, then under my car and when I look at my rear view I saw something bouncing high up. Thank God I was driving quick and no one was behind me. Later on I found out it was the clutch from my A/C compressor. Weird huh? Should I buy a new compressor or should I try to have the one I have repaired will it last?(hmm)
Funny A/C Problem.
- Thread starter Mazda_Kid
- Start date
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- -- 03 P5 / 23 CX-5 --
Yeah, same questions here.............How's pwr steering? How does belt stay on after that? Beezar.........
Who told you that it was your A/C clutch? It seems to me like it would be impossible for the pulley to remain and yet have the clutch fall off. Sorry, I'm still trying to visualize this image of an A/C clutch bouncing happily down the road in your rearview mirror 
This may seem like a dumb question, but have you tried your A/C to see if it works?
This may seem like a dumb question, but have you tried your A/C to see if it works?
This is funny. The same thing happened to my car a couple of months ago! The difference is my clutch landed on the plastic under-tray and stayed there. Bolt is long gone.
What I think happened is the clutch material got thin, cracked, and came off in a couple large chunks. I've had this happen with thinned out brake pads before; the lining material is similar. Anyway, this took tension off the center bolt that holds the clutch on the splined shaft since it was tightened against a much thicker assembly. The bolt then loosened and departed the vicinity.
It doesn't look like any of the national autoparts chain stores sell reman compressors or clutches in my area. They're still available thru Mazda but are $430, even with the Motorsports discount. The clutch assembly alone is another $300. I did find one local parts warehouse that supplies the local repair shops. It was about $510 but is on back-order.
What I'm trying to find out is if the pulley side of the clutch has to be pressed on/off. I may still find a junkyard compressor and just unbolt the clutch plate and use it.
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Here's what the compressor looks like when the clutch plate falls off. The pulley is still on because it's pressed on (I think) and retained by c-clips.
http://jmr302.com/P5/ac_clutch_gone.jpg
Here's what it should look like normally.
http://jmr302.com/P5/ac_clutch_normal.jpg
Here's what the inside surface of my clutch plate looks like. I'm not sure if the lining material is on the plate or pulley side. Note the splined portion in the center that mates with the compressor shaft.
http://jmr302.com/P5/clutch_inside.jpg
Here's what the outside of the clutch plate looks like.
http://jmr302.com/P5/clutch_outside.jpg
Interestingly enough, I found a bolt in my collection that fit and put everything back together, metal on metal. It works fine at idle but I wonder if it won't slip at highway speeds on a hot day. We'll find out tomorrow.
http://jmr302.com/P5/ac_clutch_gone.jpg
Here's what it should look like normally.
http://jmr302.com/P5/ac_clutch_normal.jpg
Here's what the inside surface of my clutch plate looks like. I'm not sure if the lining material is on the plate or pulley side. Note the splined portion in the center that mates with the compressor shaft.
http://jmr302.com/P5/clutch_inside.jpg
Here's what the outside of the clutch plate looks like.
http://jmr302.com/P5/clutch_outside.jpg
Interestingly enough, I found a bolt in my collection that fit and put everything back together, metal on metal. It works fine at idle but I wonder if it won't slip at highway speeds on a hot day. We'll find out tomorrow.
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I've read up a little bit on a/c compressors in general since that last post. They're supposed to be metal-on-metal. There is supposed to be a certain air gap between the clutch and plate. It's set with shims. Luckily my shim was still in the recess in the plate by a dab of grease. Everything works fine now and has for a week.
DON'T BE RIDICULOUS MAN(nailbyt), I HAVE SEEN IN OTHER FORUMS THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR A/C SWITCH. MINE DOES TO WHEN IT IS IN POSITION #2 IT FLICKERS AND 3-4 SOMETIMES DOES NOT WORK. IM NOT AN ENGINEER BUT I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THE SWITCH FLICKERS ON AND OFF, THAT THE CLUTCH WOULD ENGAGE AND THEN DISENGAGE( IT HAPPENED SO OFTEN THAT THE CLUTCH MUST HAVE JUST GAVE OUT AND BYE BYE.)(bolt) I FIXED THE A/C CLUTCH PROBLEM AND AM NOW ENJOYING THAT COLD AIR BUT NOW I NEED TO FIX THE SWITCH PROBLEM I SAW HOW THEY FIXED IT IN ONE OF THE FORUMS I JUST HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT.
