I have a 1992 F150 2WD with about 115k on it. Today, I took off from a stop sign and suddenly felt a loss of power and a screeching noise. About 10 seconds later I smelled a strong burning smell. I got off the road as quick as I could and when I opened the hood the A/C compressor was smoking through the clutch mechanism. There also appeared to be small metal shavings on the clutch. I was running defrost which I think cycles the compressor. Do compressors just seize suddenly? I let it sit for awhile and then started it without any climate control on and it ran fine. The clutch was not engaged. Could this be caused by lack of lubrication in the A/C system? The system never did cool very well so maybe it has a leak. Any sugesstions/comments? Thanks for any help.

Nick

 

The same thing happened to my truck. The bearing the AC compressor pulley turns on seized. I ended up removing the AC compressor and buying a pulley that bolts into it's place. It enabled me to keep using the same belt. Having the AC compressor replaced was another option but I did not feel like spending the money.

Guy

92 F150 4x4
5.0 AOD

 

I don't know where you guys live, but here in the Florida swamp AC is mandatory. It will be 83°f and 99% humidity today and this is the middle of winter! Sounds like the clutch has disengaged now and as long as you do not put the slector on AC, Max AC or Defrost it will not be engaged. Also, there is a connector at the top front of the compressor, just behind the clutch assembly. Disconnecting that will ensure the unit will not re-engage if the inside switch is inadvertently moved to one of the active positions. This way you will be able to get hot air to the defroster if you need it. It won't be dry air (just ambient) but it should keep the windows clear.

It is unclear as to exactly the problem from your description. Could be the clutch, most probably it is the compressor and the clutch started complaining when it siezed. Good news is that a new clutch assembly will come with the new compressor. The lubrication for the compressor travels around the system with the refridgeration. If the charge is low due to a leak then the lube is most likely gone too, and pretty soon the system will fail. You have been fortunate to get 115k miles on your system. All my Fords have had to have these replaced at just over 100k miles. This is a good time of the year to get AC work done. Not a lot of business, but go to a reputable place for the work. If you live near Central Florida I can point you to a couple of good shops. If not, perhaps others on the board can help. The longer you wait to have this fixed the more you will have to replace due to contamination within the system. Still, it will be a major repair bill. Hope this helps a little and happy trucking....

 

 

Does anyone know where you can get a pulley (Part #) such as the one described below? My compressor is shot and I don't feel like putting too much into it since it's not driven much. I have an 89 F-150 4.9 L Engine. Thanks.