I get my truck on the road and the heat quits. Great 20-30 out in the morning. So I open the hood at work to jump a truck and I notice the ac hoses are covered in ice. The AC clutch will not release. I pulled the clutch electrical connect to see if the relay is stuck. No still running the clutch is stuck. I tried a search but it ignores ac and clutch pulls up tons of stuff. (transmission)

Is there a way to adjust it?? Or just replace it? I never took a clutch off the ac unit before. It looks like I would not have to discharge it as long as I do not remove the whole compressor. Any tips or ideas??? Thanks

 

Yes but you need special tools to pull it off without wrecking the ceramic shaft seal. Sounds to me like it's been over-tightened.

 

All you should need is a ratchet, 8mm socket(?), snap ring pliers and feeler gauges. You could try reusing the old shims or just trial and error to set the air gap (.018-.033 in). Can you get a thin screwdriver or a putty knife in there to try and separate the clutch from the pulley?

Assuming this is for the 1997 F-250 in your profile?

 

Agree on the air gap check. Sandy

 

I thought of it this morning after I posted last night... 14 hour days at work... Yes it is a OBS 97 F250 7.3 diesel. Call it a 1996.

 

It has been on there several years. Not sure why it locked up. But I did have a belt shred a couple years ago. I can't see why that would lock it up now. But possible.

 

Well that looks pretty easy. I will look it over. I am kind of curious why it is locked up. But taking it apart will answer that. Towards the weekend when I have time away from work.

Thanks for the video, it answers some questions. I had a friend give me an AC tool. He said he will never use it. It looks like it locks into the holes in the pulley to hold it while removing the bolt.

 

Well this has been a bad week. I start off the AC clutch locks up... I take the other truck to work and it blows the exhaust off. I get home at 9pm and slide it back together and put a fair weld on it. I take it to work today running a little rough so I punch it and blow the freeze plug heater. At least I was close to home.

I go to take the bolt out of the ac clutch just now and I find metal shavings. Go gap at all in the clutch. I can't slip a knife blade in there. Hmm. Pull the front pulley and no shims under it. Do some looking and find this broken. Parts run. With 2 broken trucks.


Broken ac clutch

 

The clutch is what you removed. That is the pulley. Go buy a new clutch and pulley. I would also replace the field coil while I was there but that is up to you. All three of those parts can be replaced on the truck without disturbing the refrigerant.

 

Just found a new one. Comes with all 3 pieces, shims and bolt. In Stock at Advanced Auto.

Thanks for help all.