I was ready to swap a compressor, but just watched this and took a shot at swapping clutches. Bingo. You just saved me a bunch of money swapping compressed, evacuating and recharging the system and probably twice as much time. How can I buy you a beer or coffee?!
Found out my clutch isn't engaging (verified relay/fuse good) and was disappointed I'll have to spend money on both a compressor AND recovery (could be free but I care about the environment). Disappointment turned to excitement after watching this video. Thank you sir!
Thanks for making this video! I have a AC Compressor clutch that is failing currently (I hope the compressor itself is still good) and may try this solution myself. Your video gave me the confidence to attempt it myself.
How do you know if it's the AC compressor or the clutch making the noise? My AC compressor only makes noise when the clutch starts turning! Does that mean it's my clutch? Or the AC compressor?
At 7:30 or so, in order to stop the clutch from spinning, use a chain wrench if you have one. Looks like vice grips with a bicycle chain and it works great on pulleys and other round things you need to get a grip on. Got mine for $9 at the Harbor. Thanks for the vid I was able to apply it to my 1999 honda accord 4cyl to change the clutch without removing the compressor.
@@clintsearcy3252 Speaking of snap rings, I messed up and didn't quite get the snap ring that holds the coil in all the way in the groove. It came loose enough for the coil to make contact with the the back/inside of the pulley while clutch engaged/spinning. It grinded some of the coil face, enough to short it out. Put another one in but this time I made sure the ring snapped in all the way ( man, it's harder too see the older you get lol) so far so good.
I just did the same thing to my 2011 Honda Fit. Spent $61 for the new clutch coil, compressor pulley and clutch plate. Spent an extra $40 for some tools and it was good as new!
Good video, but I would clean the WD40 from the clutch plate because at high rpm it will probably cause to slip and you will have poor A/C performance. Also, very important is the washers you put there without, measure the space between the pulley and the clutch plate. In my case, my clutch plate is all metal, and probably it's more critical to measure the space. As it turns out it was about 0.6mm (0.023in) and it was working fine until I step on the highway my rpm runs about 3-4k and there was no A/C anymore. So I reduce the washers and with a measure blades made the gap between the clutch plate and the pulley around 0.4mm (0.015in). My car is Accord EU CL7, but the compressor is in the same place as yours and you did a great job. 🙂
Hi i am having same issue but when trying to use 2 washers it stops ac at high rpms but when using 1 the clutch plate keeps turning (not at full speed) just like small friction, is that normal or is my gap lower now?
I watched other videos and you made those rings coming off so easy. WTF. I am been having problem without a longer snap ring pliers. I am going to try it and hopefully get it to come off. Thanks if it works.
I suggest that u wk w/o your watch &get yourself a cotter pin tool 2mk your jobs easier. I use #4319 by craftsman. I also recommend smearing a thin coat of ant seize compound on the pulley boss& clutch plate boss4 obvious reasons. I recommend cleaning the clutch w/Emory cloth& brake cleaner b4 final reassembly. Good effort!
@@clintsearcy3252 No. I'm complimenting you, those spring clips were really hard for me, and those angled pliers were clutch what you had. I was also doing this in an Odyssey and I think it was a little tighter.
Could’ve just been the air gap had increased a fraction with wear. Did you try tapping the face of the AC clutch with engine on and AC engaged? If the clutch sucked in when tapped you could just put in a thinner spacer.
Did you test existing compressor for a too-large air gap? On my 1998 Frontier I removed an AC clutch shim to fix my AC, back in 2019, and didn't even need to loosen or remove the AC drive belt.
I thought this was a brilliant fix and gets you more life out of the compressor when a shop would just want to replace the whole thing costing $1000s. But you have a new video on this subject .... no spoilers.
If the clutch is all that's wrong with your AC and you're not leaking Freon this fix is the way to go. I had to swap the compressor out this time because I broke the old compressor trying to pull the clutch again. I'll do a "short" explaining that.
the second gen crv this is impossible. I'm wondering it the element and the crv with the same k24 have different accessories. I think the frame is the same and most of bay. I have two and both need to be replaced before summer comes. thanks for this insight, I'm gonna look into the element compressor.
My compressor on Chevy Matiz 2006 schreeches and there is a little black oil under the car. It is on the second car I bought. The first Matiz has a working compressor. I was wondering, as I am taking it out, do I need to replace the evaporator coil. Metal bits go inside it and ruin the new compressor. But there is a dryer. Does that go bad every time I expose it to air?
I didn't replace mine but it's usually recommended. I figured that clutch was my real issue which isn't inside the system. We will see how long it lasts only changing the compressor.
@@clintsearcy3252 I have now managed to uninstall the working compressor and evaporator from the old Matiz. The compressor in the new car is not leaking. It was oil plug. It is shredded inside. The dryer is replaceable. I still have to figure out weather to take out the new car's evaporator and empty it from metal sharpnels
How in the world did you get that first snap ring back in? I spent 4 hours trying to do it and finally had to give up and order a new compressor. It’s almost impossible. The ring was so tight coming out that getting it out was about the second hardest thing I’ve ever done, after trying to put it back in. Complements to the chef
I hope my Isuzu NPR 2000 model works the same way. I ordered a whole compressor, but don't want to drain the freon. I have 12 volts. Even tried going directly to the batteries. Diesel engine, so there's 2. No joy. I hate the thought of figuring out how much compressor oil to add and all that. I have a vacuum pump, but hell,,, why go through all that if you don't have to right?
The Denson compressor I used here came with oil and an instruction book to tell you how much oil to add back to the compressor. It's easier than it sounds.
@@clintsearcy3252 can you buy just the electric clutch without buying the whole compressor? i didnt realize you could even take it off. that would be an easier and cheaper fix than having to recover the refrigerant, change to the new compressor, pull a vacuum and refill it. i have an 04 element and my ac just stopped working. it seems to be holding pressure, but the clutch wont engage.
I'll send you this one from the video. I ended up replacing the compressor after the clutch went out a second time so I don't need this one any more. .
Hi i have a Camaro 2014 i was coming from work home the ac was blowing cold and in a second it stopped the belt tuen but the conpressor is not turning do you thing if I do the same it will work?
Well, I would check the voltage at the clutch wire first. If you're getting 12V to the AC clutch but it's still not pulling in then it is most likely the AC Clutch.
Honda AC systems are toast around 100k, mechanically you can fix it but that condenser is full of compressor shrapnel. Maybe a Ford or gm will be ok for another 50k but I noticed he didn't put pressure gauges on. Again the system is toasted, never buy anything AC or electric from a junkyard. You are just asking for trouble
I was ready to swap a compressor, but just watched this and took a shot at swapping clutches. Bingo. You just saved me a bunch of money swapping compressed, evacuating and recharging the system and probably twice as much time. How can I buy you a beer or coffee?!
Glad it helped!!
Found out my clutch isn't engaging (verified relay/fuse good) and was disappointed I'll have to spend money on both a compressor AND recovery (could be free but I care about the environment). Disappointment turned to excitement after watching this video. Thank you sir!
It's worth a try. I ended up swapping my compressor a few months later but... 300,000 miles will do that.
Thanks for making this video! I have a AC Compressor clutch that is failing currently (I hope the compressor itself is still good) and may try this solution myself. Your video gave me the confidence to attempt it myself.
I hope you win!!
How do you know if it's the AC compressor or the clutch making the noise? My AC compressor only makes noise when the clutch starts turning! Does that mean it's my clutch? Or the AC compressor?
I'm not sure.
At 7:30 or so, in order to stop the clutch from spinning, use a chain wrench if you have one. Looks like vice grips with a bicycle chain and it works great on pulleys and other round things you need to get a grip on. Got mine for $9 at the Harbor. Thanks for the vid I was able to apply it to my 1999 honda accord 4cyl to change the clutch without removing the compressor.
Thanks for the tips!
Thank You !!!! I just did my son's Element. You saved me a lot of work and time & cussing & swearing. Have a great 4th of July !!!
Glad I could help! arguing with the snap rings is the only hard part of that job.
@@clintsearcy3252 Speaking of snap rings, I messed up and didn't quite get the snap ring that holds the coil in all the way in the groove. It came loose enough for the coil to make contact with the the back/inside of the pulley while clutch engaged/spinning. It grinded some of the coil face, enough to short it out. Put another one in but this time I made sure the ring snapped in all the way ( man, it's harder too see the older you get lol) so far so good.
I just did the same thing to my 2011 Honda Fit. Spent $61 for the new clutch coil, compressor pulley and clutch plate. Spent an extra $40 for some tools and it was good as new!
THATS what I like to hear!! Glad you got it working again!
Awesome!. I did the same thing on my bmw x5 before seeing the video!. Brought the coil from amazon. Learn something new everyday
I'm always learning.
I have exactly the same problem on a 2010 Accord. From the look of it the access is about the same. Thank you for this.
I hope it helped.
So many other videos they go straight to a puller. Both of yours came off fairly easy! Hoping mine does, too.
It's worth a try.
Good video, but I would clean the WD40 from the clutch plate because at high rpm it will probably cause to slip and you will have poor A/C performance. Also, very important is the washers you put there without, measure the space between the pulley and the clutch plate. In my case, my clutch plate is all metal, and probably it's more critical to measure the space. As it turns out it was about 0.6mm (0.023in) and it was working fine until I step on the highway my rpm runs about 3-4k and there was no A/C anymore. So I reduce the washers and with a measure blades made the gap between the clutch plate and the pulley around 0.4mm (0.015in). My car is Accord EU CL7, but the compressor is in the same place as yours and you did a great job. 🙂
Those little spacers are so much more vital than they seem. That's for the info on the specs.
Hi i am having same issue but when trying to use 2 washers it stops ac at high rpms but when using 1 the clutch plate keeps turning (not at full speed) just like small friction, is that normal or is my gap lower now?
Genius, wish I thought about this before replacing with a new one
I wasn't sure it could be done. Had to find out.
That birds noise, make me happy
IS that what they are?
Making it look super easy! Great video.
The magic of editing.
It's nice of you to have cut all the swearing of putting back the c clip. Nice job by the way.
I like to make up my own new words sometimes.
Thank you for this video. I’m going to do this for my 2008 MDX and get some more life out of my compressor.
I hope it works.
Great video. Learned a lot, thanks!
Glad to hear it!
Great video! I need to do this on my element!
Give it a shot!
I watched other videos and you made those rings coming off so easy. WTF. I am been having problem without a longer snap ring pliers. I am going to try it and hopefully get it to come off. Thanks if it works.
It's tight to get the snap ring pliers in there. If you have a spare snap ring and don;t mind destroying the old one it can be done with picks.
Clint strikes again!! 😊 loved it, great job!!
Thanks! I hope it helps you stay cool. I have to replace a freon line that is leaking now...
Great video dude! I’ll be trying this method soon thanks for sharing🤙🏼
I hope it helps!!
I suggest that u wk w/o your watch &get yourself a cotter pin tool 2mk your jobs easier. I use #4319 by craftsman. I also recommend smearing a thin coat of ant seize compound on the pulley boss& clutch plate boss4 obvious reasons. I recommend cleaning the clutch w/Emory cloth& brake cleaner b4 final reassembly. Good effort!
Cool, thanks
Youve got a new subscriber! Your work is awesome very helpful, thank you for taking the time to make them.
Welcome aboard!
Awesome! I'm gonna try to do the same on a RAM 700. Greetings from México
Good luck!
Be warned he is making this look extremely easy, this was a bear of a job.
Is there something I left out?
@@clintsearcy3252 No. I'm complimenting you, those spring clips were really hard for me, and those angled pliers were clutch what you had. I was also doing this in an Odyssey and I think it was a little tighter.
@@scubaseppy It's a tricky move to be sure. I didn't even try it on my Odyssey. I just swapped the compressor.
@@clintsearcy3252 I feel better about struggling with it now. Haha
Could’ve just been the air gap had increased a fraction with wear. Did you try tapping the face of the AC clutch with engine on and AC engaged? If the clutch sucked in when tapped you could just put in a thinner spacer.
Good to know.
I had to have mine replaced in 2020. It was locking up the belt occasionally making me lose power steering.
If this one craps out again I may have a new compressor installed by a shop near me. I'm not set up to do extensive AC system work.
Did you test existing compressor for a too-large air gap? On my 1998 Frontier I removed an AC clutch shim to fix my AC, back in 2019, and didn't even need to loosen or remove the AC drive belt.
I did not. Once I saw the clutch was not functioning, I knew what I needed to do.
Awesome!!! This is going to save me some money
If you're gonna be cheap you'll need to be handy.
I thought this was a brilliant fix and gets you more life out of the compressor when a shop would just want to replace the whole thing costing $1000s. But you have a new video on this subject .... no spoilers.
If the clutch is all that's wrong with your AC and you're not leaking Freon this fix is the way to go. I had to swap the compressor out this time because I broke the old compressor trying to pull the clutch again. I'll do a "short" explaining that.
the second gen crv this is impossible. I'm wondering it the element and the crv with the same k24 have different accessories. I think the frame is the same and most of bay. I have two and both need to be replaced before summer comes. thanks for this insight, I'm gonna look into the element compressor.
I guess the frame is narrower on the CRV. I ended up having to replace this compressor after a few weeks because it gave out.
Which snap ring pliers you have I can’t get the second ring off
I used a set of Knipex 46 31 A22 external snap ring pliers.
My compressor on Chevy Matiz 2006 schreeches and there is a little black oil under the car. It is on the second car I bought. The first Matiz has a working compressor. I was wondering, as I am taking it out, do I need to replace the evaporator coil. Metal bits go inside it and ruin the new compressor. But there is a dryer. Does that go bad every time I expose it to air?
I didn't replace mine but it's usually recommended. I figured that clutch was my real issue which isn't inside the system. We will see how long it lasts only changing the compressor.
@@clintsearcy3252 I have now managed to uninstall the working compressor and evaporator from the old Matiz. The compressor in the new car is not leaking. It was oil plug. It is shredded inside. The dryer is replaceable. I still have to figure out weather to take out the new car's evaporator and empty it from metal sharpnels
Great video and all but are you b-real from cypress hill by any chance?
Who you tryin' to get crazy with ése?
Another great video shared. May i ask, what's the size of the red snap ring pliers that you used, 7 or 9 inch? TIA
They are 19-60MM Knipex
How in the world did you get that first snap ring back in? I spent 4 hours trying to do it and finally had to give up and order a new compressor. It’s almost impossible. The ring was so tight coming out that getting it out was about the second hardest thing I’ve ever done, after trying to put it back in. Complements to the chef
It was a combination of snap ring pliers and pick tools. About three months later the used clutch went out and I bought a new compressor too.
My element is making noise when the Ac kick on I wonder if that's the issue?!?
I'm not sure.
I hope my Isuzu NPR 2000 model works the same way. I ordered a whole compressor, but don't want to drain the freon. I have 12 volts. Even tried going directly to the batteries. Diesel engine, so there's 2. No joy. I hate the thought of figuring out how much compressor oil to add and all that. I have a vacuum pump, but hell,,, why go through all that if you don't have to right?
The Denson compressor I used here came with oil and an instruction book to tell you how much oil to add back to the compressor. It's easier than it sounds.
Great job 👏 have a 2006 Ridgeline that I have to do this on. I reckon it's not to much of a difference .
Chech the clearance. I tried it on a 2004 Odyssey and there wasn't enough room. I had to unbolt the compressor to get the clutch off.
could you have tested continuity on that magnet coil? in theory its just one long copper wire right?
I guess you could. Once I see that the circuit is getting power and the clutch doesn't move that's enough information for me.
@@clintsearcy3252 can you buy just the electric clutch without buying the whole compressor? i didnt realize you could even take it off. that would be an easier and cheaper fix than having to recover the refrigerant, change to the new compressor, pull a vacuum and refill it. i have an 04 element and my ac just stopped working. it seems to be holding pressure, but the clutch wont engage.
@@getprobed838 www.ebay.com/itm/121786753334?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=wdDQq0MvQc2&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=ltPWWpdGQzy&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
what about the bolt in the middle of the clutch plate how you tighten that without it spinning
Same way I took it off. I wedged a socket under the rivets in the clutch plate and tightened it up.
Perfect video, great fix
Glad it helped. Gotta have AC down here in Tennessee.
Forgot to mention my compressor is aftermarket but look the same as oem with tue 4 rivets in the fronts etc
I think so but I'm not 100% sure.
Best bro good technic ❤
Thanks!
Great video brother!!
I have the same problem but can't find a good used pulley with no noise on bearing. Will the aftermarket one in ebay work?
I'll send you this one from the video. I ended up replacing the compressor after the clutch went out a second time so I don't need this one any more. .
How long did it take to complete? Guess it is all about how hard it is to get the old clutch off. Maybe 4 hours?
4 hours should be plenty of time. I think this took me about 2 hours but shooting video of it all slows things down a lot.
What if my pulley doesn’t move at all?
I guess your compressor is locked up.
Thank You
You're welcome
Hi i have a Camaro 2014 i was coming from work home the ac was blowing cold and in a second it stopped the belt tuen but the conpressor is not turning do you thing if I do the same it will work?
I checked the relay and the fuse and they are working
Well, I would check the voltage at the clutch wire first. If you're getting 12V to the AC clutch but it's still not pulling in then it is most likely the AC Clutch.
I think I need to do this job, my clutch is making a rattling noise
I hope it helps out.
My hero
Did it work for ya?
Was your ac working after car sat all night then cut out ? I have a 2003 element and it seems to cut out after 5 or ten min
This fix worked for about 3 weeks the the clutch died again. Not I'm shooting a video on replacing he entire compressor.
@@clintsearcy3252 yeah I ended up buying a whole new compressor being that they don’t sell the clutch by itself
Was there a reason you used the junkyard pulley?
Well yea, I happened to have one that worked in my pile of parts. That's really the only reason.
I tried to manually jump the ac clutch from the fuse location but nothing… ac refrigerant is full, any ideas..?
You jumped out the AC relay and had no voltage at the plug for the clutch?
@@clintsearcy3252 not from the plug, from the fuse
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Honda AC systems are toast around 100k, mechanically you can fix it but that condenser is full of compressor shrapnel. Maybe a Ford or gm will be ok for another 50k but I noticed he didn't put pressure gauges on. Again the system is toasted, never buy anything AC or electric from a junkyard. You are just asking for trouble
This compressor was right at 300,000 miles when the clutch went out.
T.y.
Sure thing!