Thread: How To: AC Compressor Pulley Bearing Repair

BEARING USED WAS LISTED FOR A P11 - GLOBAL AIR CB - 2502

Ok so new/reman AC compressors are more than I'd like to spend on trying to fix my AC since I'm in PA and its not an absolute necessity. As some of you know, during the 2014 Convention the bearing in the AC compressor pulley exploded during the trip out to Karting. I recently decided to take a crack at trying to fix it. I didnt want to disconnect the AC system because it worked prior and its R12 which is hard to find these days.......anyway here we go.

So I got the AC repair rental tool from Advanced Auto...useless if you are doing this with the compressor still on the car as there is not enough clearance. I did find that they sell for like $20, a spanner wrench to help hold the clutch plate so you can undo the 10mm bolt. Looks like this.



I how ever just used some angle pliers to hold it and it worked fine. (like below)


Now here is where the rental tool would have been great but no clearance on the car makes it unusable, but I found a way to push the clutch away from the pulley. Basically get a bunch of small to large flat head screw drivers and wedge them between the plate and pulley and knock them in going to the bigger screw driver as you push the clutch off till it pops right off. (NOTE: You will prob end up with scratches on the pulley from the screw driver like mine, but I dont see that causing any issues)



When the clutch disc comes off BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOSE THE LITTLE SHIMS INSIDE. Those give the spacing needed between the disc and pulley. I think there are 3 or 4, i forget.


Next you will need to remove a snap ring and then you should be able to knock the pulley right off. My bearing was totally in pieces so basically fell off lol.




I had to chisel out the old bearings outter race so that I could press the new one. You must first remove another snap ring that holds the bearing in the pulley. Here is the difference lol


Here is whats left. Just the Coil Magnet........I thought mine was ok but I might be changing it if i can find a place to buy one.



I had the new bearing pressed in and put back on the snap ring that supports holdin the bearing in the pulley


I slid the pulley back on (using a mallot to lightly tap it all the way down exposing the grove of the next snap ring). Install said snap ring that holds the pulley assembly in place.
(NOTE: THIS PICTURE IS PRIOR TO TAPPING THE PULLEY ALL THE WAY DOWN AND REINSTALLING SNAP RING)


Lastly you will put the clutch plate back on and the 10mm nut back in to complete the reinstall. I havent completed my reinstall because upon testing the magnet (turning on the car, AC on, I should have got a magnetic field that grabs the clutch but didn't) it failed to magnetize so I'm thinking I may need to pull that off and replace it (which is held on by 3 screws behind the pulley). Except I have no idea where to get one so until i can find a donor wire coil this will have to be put on hold. I also need to double check the pressure and be sure i didn't loose it when the pulley seized and exploded....


**UPDATE CLUTCH COIL REMOVAL**

Ok guys so turns out my clutch coil is fucked as the wiring is all broken up so it doesnt magnetize. Removal of the coil is pretty easy (depending on how "sezied" your screw are). Mine came off super easy though. Here is a picture of the 3 screws to remove.
NOTE: This is picture of a B15 compressor but the idea is exactly the same on the B13.



Unplug it from the top of the compressor and there you have it, clutch coil removed






B13 VERSUS B15 (04 SER QR MOTOR)

So I attempted to gut a B15 compressor to see if i could use anything in it. Turns out the pulley is slightly smaller diameter (which looks like just effect belt size) but is also thinner as well as the clutch coil. You could prob use the clutch plate and the bearing though. Below are the differences. B13 has the green bearing, B15 has the orange.







ALSO NOTE, the plug on the clutch coil is different than the B13, it does however match the plug on the B14 which leads me to believe perhaps B15 internals will work fine with B14 internals. There would be to much of extra gap using B15 internals on a B13 compressor though given the thinner size. Looks like I'm looking for anything off a highport as of right now. Match plugs should be the assumed way to go to finding the right clutch coil.


JUST IN CASE ANYONE CARES, I DOCUMENTED B15 COMPRESSOR DIS-ASSEMBLY, WHICH IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME

One difference is the clutch plate obviously, easy to remove the 10mm bolt just using something to hold it between those studs


Same technique to separate the clutch plate from the pulley using my screw driver method.


Same snap ring removal to pull the pulley off HOWEVER i noticed there is no snap ring on the back of the pulley holding the bearing in


Finally the pulley will need a little force to slide it off the shaft. What I did was put the 10mm bolt back on and hammer on it while holding the pulley to force the pulley to slide off the shaft. I didnt care much about damaging anything since this was for parts, but if you do, I recommend maybe trying (AND PLEASE POSTING) another method. This method ended up damaging the threads on the screw and kinda bend it. Maybe put a piece of wood or something to take the impact and not put it all on the screw. Screw is easily replaced but you dont wana damage the threads inside the compressors spindle that it screws into or you'll have to re-thread it i assume.

**UPDATE IDEA** Try this tool, should work fine without damaging anything.
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-pulley-puller-66868.html





HOW TO TEST YOUR CLUTCH COIL ON OR OFF THE CAR

So you aren't sure if your clutch coil wiring is any good? Well here is how to test it.

ON THE CAR.....either with the pulley still on the car or a shortened belt so you can run the car and by pass the compressor.
Start the car, turn on the AC and go under the car and put something metal up to the pulley, should magnetize it.

OFF THE CAR....find a power source (car battery or in my case I used a computer power supply)
Touch the negative wire to the body of the clutch coil
Touch the wire coming off the coil to the positive side
Watch it become magnetized

Below you can see i have my positive side connected to the wire from the coil and the negative wire im holding up against the back of the body. Magnet!


Oh, you can also use a multimeter to check resistance, but its more fun to see it in action.

Cool write-up!
I wonder how hard it would be to wind your own magnet... Or maybe repair what is there. It should be the simplest of devices.

I noticed a little bit of the wiring falling out of there and as I believe that wiring has to be one connected solid wire, it'll need replacing. I have seen write ups where people have used their own wiring, and it seems simple enough, but i've decided to just try and find a donor compressor i can just pull the coil from. This way I can eliminate the variable of the fact I didnt wrap the coil correctly.

I have the same problem, where my AC clutch doesnt engage even hooking up to battery. Now I have a VE compressor that can't use because bigger lines/ different orientation (RHD) so I wonder if I can swap the coil form that one to the one installed...

Good job speedy.

Check the plug from the coil thats on top of the compressor. If its the same, i'm willing to bet it would work (or still work if you have to swap the plugs), its only 1 wire. I'll be adding to the write up once I remove my coil, but it very simple, its held in by 3 screws and theres a notch on the back of it that lines up on the compressor to hold it in place cause it doesnt turn with the pulley or anything. The pulley bearing I used I got from a member of G20.net bought for a P11 and it fit fine. I'm willing to bet all the parts are the same. Clutch disc just look different on some other chassis compressors.

Very awesome writeup, I did this on mine a couple years ago, also with it on the car. Unfortunately that compressor locked up so I had to swap the good clutch back onto another compressor

Did you post the part number of that bearing? I used the same one, I believe I got it from Autozone, they even had it in stock.



I'd probably just use a newer one. It has a sort of housing and the coil is epoxied into it. I'm sure you could though. It would probably be easier to dig out the old wire on one that has been burned from excessive clutch slipping/heat... or actually, you could probably just burn it out yourself with a torch.





I'm fairly sure you could use that one. I replaced my stock plug anyway, its too short and a bitch to pop apart without pulling the wires out while the compressor is in the car.

Also, the FSM has a spec for the clutch gap. Mine was a little on the wide side when I checked with a feeler gage, so I pulled out a shim or two to make sure it was tight but still within spec.

Corrected.

Great write-up speedo! Almost got it...I'm pretty sure I can make at out least one open in the coil on the right side in the pic. I pretty sure compressors are the same b/w 1.6 & 2.0L...not sure if that was discussed yet...but should definitely help you source one Mr. Junkyard Master.

Yeah courtesy parts listed all b13 compressors the same. problem is i've already pillage and plundered my local junk of everything useful. Gotta wait till something new to shows up. Wondering if perhaps the coil from a B15 would work. I might snag one just to rip it apart and see.

BTW I listed the bearing i used. GLOBAL AIR CB - 2502

check resistance in your coil to see if you have any breaks. 0 resistance is a bad thing here. you can wind your own coil, or have a place that winds transformers do it. i got quoted re-winding a 1940s transformer that let out the magic smoke for around $120. this coil is far more simple and should be way cheaper.