How does compressor clutch work

Shopping cart close. Cart Support Tech Talk — Blog. What is the Compressor Really? Sanden- Wobble plate A reciprocating piston, fixed displacement compressor. How does the Compressor Clutch work? Previous Post. AC Compressors , Air Conditioning. Classic Auto Air has made it easy though. If you turn on the AC, the clutch gets energized and then engages the armature plate of the compressor belt and the compressor drive. Thus the AC of the car starts working.

Now, consider the reverse situation. If the clutch is de-energized it will automatically disengage the compressor drive and the compressor belt pulley. As a consequence, the AC compressor will stop working. The common symptoms of a defective AC compressor clutch:.

Look at the common red flags to watch out for:. Common methods of manually engaging the AC clutch:. By adding more coolant:. How will you solve the problem when the AC is providing a low level of refrigerant?

The solution is very simple — by adding more coolant. Is your AC is compatible with the Ra refrigerant? Then you can attach your unit with it to overrule to low-pressure switch. As an outcome, you will get a standard function of the AC compressor clutch. Jump-start the clutch:. If your AC is an older model, jumps-start can be a good option.

It will take a few minutes provided the AC compressor has sufficient oil. You could be forced to replace that sooner than you may have expected to, too. In the event that you find yourself with a bad AC compressor clutch in your car, you might be tempted to try and fix it yourself. How hard could it be to take a bad AC compressor clutch out and pop a new one into its place to get your AC system up and running like usual again?

This is because certain AC compressor clutches cannot be serviced and repaired. You should leave AC compressor clutch repairs and replacements up to the professionals.

Rather than attempting to repair or replace an AC compressor clutch on your own, you should take your car to a mechanic or, better yet, a car AC specialist to work on it for you.

The AC compressor clutch is a small part of your AC system, but it can cost a lot of money to replace it. The price to put a new AC compressor clutch into your car might seem steep, and it might make you reconsider your decision to replace it.

The last thing you want to do is not take on AC compressor clutch replacement and end up paying even more money later to fix other components in and around your AC system. Are you going to be keeping your current car for at least another year or two? If you are, then it probably makes all the sense in the world to pay to have a bad AC compressor clutch replaced.

Is anyone going to want to buy a car that has a bad AC compressor clutch in it? Actually, yes.