AC compressor clutch not engaging

[radarvector]

Replaced the pulley. The bearings are inside of the new one, correct?

[Rogue Jarhead]

The bearing should be a sealed unit already pressed into the pulley.

[Rozey66]

Morning!

I want to thank everyone in this thread, and forums, for awesome info and you have helped me with many small projects and work on my Rogue.

I wanted to jump in here because I just replaced the AC Clutch on my '15 Rogue, and initially reused the spacers from the old unit and the flywheel would NOT spin freely, and I didn't appreciate the importance, so ran the car for a day. I returned to the car and investigated that the clutch would stick/spin with the AC off, and I removed the cover, and added two more spacers until the wheel spun freely without any grinding/rubbing. Seems to be working fine, now.

My questions are:

• Is this normal - to have to add spacers?
  Anything I can do to verify that I haven't caused damage waiting a day to fix?

[Rozey66]

Follow-up -- everything was fine for a day, and now the clutch occasionally does not engage when the AC is turned on. Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not.

What are my next steps in troubleshooting, because it is not consistent?

[VStar650CL]

First back-probe the compressor connector with a test lamp to see if the clutch still has juice when it cuts out. If the connector still has juice on both sides then the new clutch is cutting out. However, on aftermarket clutches and compressors, the connectors are notorious for having "thin pins" that intermittently lose contact and cause the clutch to kick in and out. So check both sides of the connector. Use a safety pin or small T-pin to back-probe the contacts. If they both give you a bright lamp and the clutch isn't spinning, blame the clutch. If the compressor side of the connector is dim or out, the connector is crappy. You can fix it by using a forceps or a very small needlenose to twist the male pins 10~15 degrees on their axis, that will have the effect of "thickening" the pins and letting them make good contact with the female receptacles.

[Tutti57]

Either backprobe the connector and check for power and ground while the compressor should be on, or replace the compressor with q bult, or incandescent test light. Turn it on, and if it lights up, the clutch is shot, if it doesn't, you've got other problems. Are the fans on when it drops out? I've seen a few evaporator temp sensors fail, where the temp jumps around a bit, making the auto Amp think the evap is frozen, and shut off the compressor. There are a handful of inputs that can be checked with the right scantool. Ambient temp sensor, intake temp sensor, pressure sensor, are all suspects.

[Tutti57]

Either backprobe the connector and check for power and ground while the compressor should be on, or replace the compressor with a bulb, or incandescent test light. Turn it on, and if it lights up, the clutch is shot, if it doesn't, you've got other problems. I've seen a few evaporator temp sensors fail, where the temp jumps around a bit, making the auto Amp think the evap is frozen, and shut off the compressor. There are a handful of inputs that can be checked with the right scantool too. Ambient temp sensor, intake temp sensor, pressure sensor, are all suspects.

[Rozey66]

Either backprobe the connector and check for power and ground while the compressor should be on, or replace the compressor with q bult, or incandescent test light. Turn it on, and if it lights up, the clutch is shot, if it doesn't, you've got other problems. Are the fans on when it drops out? I've seen a few evaporator temp sensors fail, where the temp jumps around a bit, making the auto Amp think the evap is frozen, and shut off the compressor. There are a handful of inputs that can be checked with the right scantool. Ambient temp sensor, intake temp sensor, pressure sensor, are all suspects.

First back-probe the compressor connector with a test lamp to see if the clutch still has juice when it cuts out. If the connector still has juice on both sides then the new clutch is cutting out. However, on aftermarket clutches and compressors, the connectors are notorious for having "thin pins" that intermittently lose contact and cause the clutch to kick in and out. So check both sides of the connector. Use a safety pin or small T-pin to back-probe the contacts. If they both give you a bright lamp and the clutch isn't spinning, blame the clutch. If the compressor side of the connector is dim or out, the connector is crappy. You can fix it by using a forceps or a very small needlenose to twist the male pins 10~15 degrees on their axis, that will have the effect of "thickening" the pins and letting them make good contact with the female receptacles.

Forgive my delay and ignorance, but I am not sure I understand HOW to do what you're both asking. How do I test (probe) these connections while still connected?

[VStar650CL]

Use a safety pin or T-pin to push underneath the rubber grommet where the wire enters, to make contact with the crimped portion of the metal pin.

[Timbo66]

I just replaced my AC clutch and although I used the same shims, it's too tight and doesn't spin freely when the engine is off. When the engine is running, it turns all the time. If I loosen the center bolt, it works properly, but I can't leave it that way of course.

I want to add shims as some other people have done but I cannot find any.

Does anyone have any idea where to find a couple more shims?

[VStar650CL]

I believe that's a Valeo compressor, if so you should be able to source shims from Valeo US in Dallas:
vc-dallas-sales@valeo.com.

From the Valeo repair manual, the p/n's are 596541-1900 (0.1mm), -2000 (0.3mm), -2100 (0.5mm).