Suggestions for A/C clutch?

[atikovi]

Just bought the truck and it was making an awful noise, like maybe a bad throwout bearing. After getting it home, I find it's the A/C clutch. I can move it around by hand like the bearing is shot. Is there a name brand replacement? I see some Chinese ones on Ebay and Amazon for around $40 but the reviews say they only last a month or two. My alternative is a junkyard clutch for $22.

 

[u2slow]

Get the whole compressor.

I looked at changing just the clutch, but it's not standalone/separable from the compressor in the same manner as old ones used to be .

 

[atikovi]

Sure it is. Just took the old one off in 15 minutes.

 

[u2slow]

I had the front clutch plate off in that time. Changing that alone backfired on my first road trip.

 

[atikovi]

How so?

 

[u2slow]

How so?

The swapped-over front clutch plate seemed to work initially, but 2-3hrs down the highway it was smoking and subsequently killed the front bearing on the compressor.

 

[atikovi]

Are you sure you didn't install a clutch from an aftermarket compressor onto your original compressor? They may bolt on but may not fit perfectly.

 

[u2slow]

Are you sure you didn't install a clutch from an aftermarket compressor onto your original compressor? They may bolt on but may not fit perfectly.

Yes. Both original Mopar.

 

[DadOSix]

Yes. Both original Mopar.

Maybe one of the shims got mislaid and the new plate did not have the correct air-gap. I lost one real thin one on my 06 and had to make do with a brass washer from a brake hose kit.

 

[atikovi]

Couldn't find an original clutch out of the 5 Liberty's I saw, so I grabbed this UAC Korea compressor that looks to have been installed in the last year or so.

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It's blowing ice cold for now.