I have a 2000 F-150 that just crapped an a/c compressor clutch bearing and I'm replacing it. Does anyone know what clearance the clutch gets shimmed to?

 

i'd go look at another truck and go with that. stick a paperclip in there, its about that thickness.

 

0.013-0.035 inch is spec for this. I try to get on the tight side if possible.

 

I did mine last summer and I thought I would be clever and just reuse the spacer that I had. Well it was off. The clutch/compressor rattled/grinded. I still get a little rattle occasionally but I don't want to attempt that repair again.

Are you removing the compressor or replacing while attached. I was only able to get access from the bottom and it was hell. Actually it was just getting the old one off, well getting the new one on the shaft was tuff too.

 

usually they rattle when the bearing sags and the clutch drags due to the belt tension on it.

 

With a new bearing/pulley, which is what he is replacing there should be no sag, and since they routinely go 100k miles with no problem it should not change fast. as long as the the pulley/bearing is fully seated gap as low as 0.013 will not drag. You are supposed to verify clearance on three equaly spaced places around the hub which will tell you if not fully seated on one side, hub bent, etc. Over 0.035 will not engage without help of a push withj hammer handle and there is a special service message for '04-up to close gap up to 0.008 inch for engagement concerns. Since spec was the same for 20 yrs or so on this type compressor you have to figure they went to new supplier who's electromagnet is not strong enough. We also were getting a lot of '04-up tauruses in that compressor went out , totally locked up, with as little as 15k miles on them. Part # had been superceded 7 times since new. They must have seen there was a problem, but would not admit it, though they did cut the labor allowance down during this same period. Kind of hard on us techs, when every week flag a little less and you check behind warranty clerk to find it was cut while you were waiting on parts to ship in.

 

Surely you're not suggesting that Ford just randomly cuts what they pay us are you?
I'm sure glad we're on straight time in our shop. They still monitor our productivity but at least we get paid for all the hours we work.

 

Must be nice, but I don't see the greedy dealers in this area ever doing that. There is no incentive for them to treat techs fairly.
Would I suggest ford cuts labor time unfairly, No, it is not a suggestion , it is a positive assertion. If the labor times they claim to have performed studdies on , but are unable to back up claim with actual factual study results was correct, then how to explain the same labor op being cut when an inordinate amount of claims start piling in? Did the job all of the sudden get easier? Maybe the techs got faster as they aged?
As for their labor studies that were introduced after a lawsuit was announced as ready to be filed, they are pure b.s. also. They perform the operation 5 times in a row and then time it. How often do techs see the same vehicle, same concern, same part replaced 6 times in a row in real life? Also the tools are already laid out. They do not have to go to another area to hunt for the special tools and the part being replaced is laying by the toolbox. While you seem to work for a shopowner that pays fairly, does the parts dept. bring the part to you or do you have to go stand in line and wait for it to be ordered, brought up from warehouse, etc. The parts man is salary or hourly and could give a s!@# less that you are not making $$$ standing and waiting.