I was wondering if someone can tell me where to find shims for the ac clutch. They guy at O'Reilly didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned an air gap for the ac clutch. He recommended switching out a sensor on the compressor. I have a 1999 F-350 7.3. with 266550 miles. I seem to be having a problem w/ my ac cooling for a few minutes then blows warm air then will blow cool again. All happening while never making switchs to the controls. I have read the other post regarding this issue and it seems to be the air gap is to wide. I backed out the screw in the center and then pulled off the faceplate of the clutch. Question, is the shim the washer looking item which was up inside the faceplate of the clutch? If so, how many are supposed to be there? I saw only one. This is the first time this has been opened up. And if there has been excessive wear, wouldn't the gap get narrower instead of wider? This has me kind of perplexed. Anywas, any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated. Doug

 

Sounds like you got it. The number of washers varies to hit the needed gap. Or there might be another one stuck down in the clutch recess. Given the age and miles, pull that shim and you should be good to go, unless there is another problem, but odds are good that's it.

The face of the clutch wears, so it loses material, opening the gap when the clutch plate is in the open position. The gap gets wider as it wears.

 

How long should one go before replacing the clutch? If the clutch has worn enough that the shims need removing, isn't that enough to just replace the whole thing? I haven't checked costs when asking this question, so it may be out of line.

 

You can replace it, but it is rarley needed. Pull a shim first. Then if it comes back in a few years you will probably be dealing with a worn out compressor by then. Then replace it all.

Besides, if you pull a shim and it doesn't fix the issue, then you need to get deeper into diagnostics and you haven't wasted any money yet.

Target gap is about 0.016-0.030". Aim for low 0.020's roughly.

 

Thanks for the reply dstig1. Question, if that is the only shim in there and by removing it reduces the gap to the needed opening size, will it hurt the unit running with no shims in place? Question, when the clutch isn't engaged there is to be a gap of 0.025 and when it is engaged, while turning it appears to suck up to the other piece. Is this correct? Does anyone know how many shims are to be inside the faceplate recess area to begin with? As stated in the OP this is the first time this has been opened so however it comes from Ford is what is inside. I just don't know if the one shim I saw was it or is there more jammed up inside. And I presume that if I remove the only shim I see and the gap is still to wide, then can I only replace the clutch faceplate (is that even an option)? Thanks again for any response, Doug

 

It doesn't matter how many shims are in there, it's the thickness that matters. When I bought the new clutch, it came with a package of shims of different thicknesses. I think you only need one, but it has to be the correct thickness.
Put the clutch back together and measure the gap. If it's too wide, you need to get a thinner shim, based on how much you need to close up the gap. If the gap is .050", you need a shim .030" thinner than what is presently there.
Best place to buy the shim would be an automotive AC shop.

 

Had the same problem on my 96 X. Pulled the face plate and it only had one shim. I removed that shim, reinstalled without it and the gap was perfect. Depending on the amount of wear it may not even need shimming.

EE

 

Thanks everyone, I am going to give it a try tomorrow without the shim and see how it measures out. Hopefully it will be within the range needed. Thanks for the automotive AC shop idea, hadn't tried anyone but O'reilly and Autozone and they just gave me a blank stare. Thanks again, great forum also. Doug

 

Wanted to give a quick update. I measured the gap and had more than .035 (it was the biggest gap feeler on the tool). I pulled the shim and replaced with the smallest shim in the kit. That reduced the gap to 0.022. After a few afternoon drives, it seems to have done the trick. I'm not raising penguins in the cab, but it is definitly colder and much more pleasurable in the Houston heat. Again thanks to ultramagdan for sticking projectSHO89's troubleshooting FAQ's, dstig1, sportruk, and erniex for all the responses, dugd111