A/C Compressor Question

Good evening everyone,

Vehicle: 2003 S-Runner

Background: Over the past two months, I've been dealing with an intermittent noise emanating from one of the belts in my vehicle. Although peculiar, it would come and go without much consequence. However, things took a dramatic turn when, leaving a store recently, I detected a burning smell and witnessed all warning lights illuminate. Due to work commitments, I had to secure a ride immediately. Upon returning, the truck miraculously ran smoothly, except for the discovery of the A/C belt being completely shredded. Despite this, I managed to drive home without any issues.

Current Situation: In response to the A/C belt mishap, I took the initiative to replace all three belts and the idler pulley just yesterday. Surprisingly, the other two belts were still in good condition. During a thorough inspection of the pulleys, I observed that the A/C compressor refused to turn by hand.

Query: Should the A/C compressor rotate freely when not in operation?

If it is expected to rotate, does this suggest the need for a complete compressor replacement, or are there alternative solutions worth exploring?

If I decide not to throw back on the A/C belt due to time, will it be safe to drive just like that?

In the photo is the main Pulley as well, is that suppose to rotate by hand as well?

Appreciate your insights and advice.

Thank you.

 

The compressor bearing seized which caused the belt to get shredded on the stationary pulley. Yes that needs to spin.

I had this happen years ago and I just needed to replace the clutch that’s on the front of the compressor. I was able to do this without removing the compressor, but it’s not easy. If the compressor is original than it is probably worth having the entire thing replaced.

 

Thank you for the quick reply. Do you know if it will affect anything if I drive without a A/C belt? I don’t actually know if it’s OEM but I would take a guess it is because it only has 130k miles

 

You can just take the belt off, it won’t affect anything else. I can’t remember but you may need to take another belt off to get that one off, or you could just cut it.

 

Yea I have all the belts off right now because I was replacing all of them. Any idea how much something like this would be to replace from a shop? I don’t think I have the correct tools for a job like this.

 

Just for the compressor, you are probably looking at 750-1000 with labor to replace. The system will have to get evacuated and recharged. Most likely some other parts will need to be replaced.

I recently had my compressor blow up and had to get a new compressor, condenser, and expansion valve. That was over $2k

 

Do you know if the crankshaft pulley in the photo should spin as well?

 

Crankshaft will not spin by hand, but it will spin if you put a wrench on the bolt. When you turn that, you turn the entire engine.

 

Like @nzbrock said you probably just need a new AC clutch. I did mine a month ago.

This is the one I got, worked great. Removing the snap rings is tricky because you're sorta blind. I can tell you more if you're going to do it. Need snap ring pliers, an AC clutch holding tool or way to hold it while you remove the center bolt, feeler gauges, and otherwise normal wrenches.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=9785312&cc=1278930&pt=6572&jsn=1503

 

Hey I think I need to do the same to my compressor clutch. Mind telling me a little more about what you did?

 

Here's my process
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ac-compressor-clutch-removal.800008/#post-29523441

 

He is spot on.

I had this happen 2 days ago, with all the same symptoms you described. I ended up replacing the compressor. When taking the assembly apart, I found a cracked ball in the bearing, which was the source of it seizing.

Hope that helps!

 

JustaDrivers write up is a good one. One thing to make note of... he shows 4 washers, 3 of those are spacers. There is a clearance specification .014 to .025 IIRC, between the plates. Too large and the pully wont pull in, to cloee and it will drag and make a noise. You will find these speacers on the snout of the compressor under the snout of the outer magnetic clutch... when you see it it will make sense.

 

Yeah, you need a feeler gauge to check the clearance or it's a big waste of time, and I chose a new clutch that includes extra spacers which I ended up needing.

 

I ended up just replacing the whole compressor. I followed adventure tacos write up on it. The filling back up process was a pain in the ass but everything is good now for the summer. Thanks for all the help.