rgs80074

Hello everyone

I have a 1996 grand cherokee limited
4.0l engine


I am having an issue with the ac. it works but i can't use it right now because the ac clutch bearings are going bad. I can run it for a few mins then things don't work right so its better off not being used at all.

my question since i can't spend much time at once doing repairs:

is it possible to remove the clutch and such from the ac compressor but still be able to drive the vehicle if needed?

my understanding is when it engages it sucks it in and that kinda starts the ac compressor running, but with it off it should still run, not leak anything correct?

I mean it just looks like nothing to fancy that would cause an issue but i've never done it before and was just curious. mechanic i was going to use seems to be a no show or no go not answering emails or texts.

i figure the more i can do on my own the better off i am to get stuff done that bothers me (hate electrical stuff).

also i have a aftermarket blower installed, how can i tell if its installed corrected and not wired up backwards and if i take it off how should it look inside. it works on all settings but don't seem to be as strong as i'd expect.

thanks

ryan

rgs80074

no one has any opinions on this?

the removal don't seem hard from the videos but i just don't know if i can drive it without it until a replacement is gotten.

any input would be greatly appreciated.

Bugout4x4

OK I'm not real sure about this because I haven't had to do it yet. maybe someone else can confirm if this works or not. But it looks like a shorter 79" belt might let you go straight to the alternator and bypass the A/C ? But it also looks like an A/C bypass pulley might be required. These are around a 100 bucks. At that point may as well put this money into a new A/C clutch if that is all it really is. Autozone rents A/C clutch pullers...

rgs80074

well i was more wondering if there was an issue removing the clutch portion of the ac compressor.

i mean right now i can drive the jeep just fine if i don't turn on the ac, its the part that when the ac is one that engages i want to remove and replace.

i was just wondering if that could be removed and still let the jeep be driven until a replacement is gotten.

this will also allow me to test if this is something i can do or not. videos made it look easy for most of them. a few nuts/bolts and it pulls off etc.

my mechanic is not answering his emails or texts but i think the father is the one not answering and the son has no idea they are being sent.

but the more i can do myself the more stuff i can afford them to do that i can't.

Ryan

dave1123

The clutch and bearings can be changed with a puller. The trick is doing it on the car without evacuating the gas charge. You shouldn't vent the freon to the air, but everybody usually does. Once the clutch is replaced, you'll have to have the system pumped down to vacuum to remove the air, then recharge it. I've seen a/c compressors tied to the fender and a shorter belt used.

I'm not saying it can't be done on the car (truck). Why not just pull the plug on the clutch until you decide what to do. Remember it runs in defrost.

rgs80074

from the videos i am not sure any thing would be replaced that would require the pump or evacuating the gas.

from what i can gather its just a bolt/screw then everything else just kinda pulls off.

i am not sure the bearing is bad cause it looks like and perhaps i am wrong if the bearing was bad then it would have a heard time running (the jeep) even if the ac was off.

the part turns freely and the vehicle runs just fine if the ac is not turned on. if the bearing was bad wouldn't that effect it either way? there is no noise or anything that comes from the compressor area until you turn on the ac.

perhaps i am just better off waiting for the mechanic, i have to run to get stuff for an oil change anyways hopefully i can catch him there see if he even knows i've been trying to get in touch with them.

perhaps i am getting the info wrong but the replacement would be something like this


am I wrong about the bearing though? If it was bad it wouldn't matter if the ac was trying to run or not the vehicle would have issues and it would make noise?

'90Cherokee

Define "then things don't work right".

If the clutch bearing were bad it wouldn't matter if the clutch is engaged or not, that bearing is spinning while disengaged. It sounds like the compressor is bad, but still need to know what "don't work right" means.

rgs80074

Hello and sorry for the delay.

I was speaking with the mechanic who was going to do the work and he says to know for sure on the compressor you'd have to tear it apart, he don't think the bearings was bad considering at the time it was still working but now has stopped.

what was happening is it would run fine then you'd turn on the ac and you'd get this nasty noise but if you turned off the ac it went away and the noise was coming from the compressor.

now to answer your questions about things not working right.

after the ac stopped working right or working without issues. this happened twice and then i stopped using the ac at all.

last time after about 15 minutes of use it started to smell like burning rubber from the belt slipping instead of the compressor turning. turned off the ac and the burning smell went away and after i went into the store it started with no problem but didn't run right.

i had no power or speed, i had to practically floor the gas peddle to get any speed of course the rpm's was real high during this as well. normally with my driving habits the rpm's on the jeep is 1.5-2k rpm's if i pull out in traffic and speed up quickly it still don't get past 3.5k. but i was over 4k and that was just to get the vehicle up to 40mph.

there was something else it was doing but i can't recall since the no speed and high rpm's was my major concern.

got the jeep home, disconnected the battery since if not the auto dimmer turns on the lights by itself, can't find the rely to remove for that, new light switch.

after that i used the jeep for 4 weeks straight as a daily driver no issues, used it the other day for driving around town doing errands no problems in fact i am at work right now and i used it to drive to work tonight no problems.

as long as i don't touch the ac it works just fine, i turn it on and it goes to hell until the battery is disconnected.

but it appears from what the mechanic was saying it would be quicker and easier just to replace the whole compressor. i can get it online as a kit with a few other parts cheaper than just the compressor locally so i might go that route when i find another mechanic that can do it without killing me financially to do it.

other than a few things on the jeep (nothing that keeps it from being used) everything needed for the jeep or the van for that matter are all minor things.

ryan

dave1123

Okay, the bearing on the front is just for the belt pulley. The compressor shaft is attached to the clutch that pulls in magnetically to engage the compressor. If it's quiet when it's not engaged, you can run it forever. If it's noisey when engaged, that's the compressor itself. Just pull the clutch plug and drive it until you can get a compressor. End of story.

'90Cherokee

From your description of problems the compressor is bad, not the clutch or clutch bearings. And what your mechanic said tells me you need a new mechanic.

4.3L XJ

I agree, your compressor is bad. If you cannot fix it right away, disconnect the wire to the clutch and it will just free wheel and not engage until you can fix it.

rgs80074

well thast kinda what he was saying (the mechanic) i think i misunderstood him as he mentioned a rebuilt kit. but he can't do any mechanic work anymore his father took all their mechanic work money from their account, all his tools, and his dog.

i mean i can do the work on it i believe at least the replacing of the parts its the reclaiming the refrig. and such that i am not sure i can do or do correctly.

so i have another mechanic i need to contact see what his prices are for doing work on the vehicle i need done. while the ac is one of the top priorities getting that darn auto delay relay removed is more important to me its a pain in the butt to disconnect the battery everytime i am done using the jeep.

the light switch is good (just replaced actually) and I can hear the clicking in the dash they say that the rely but they showed pictures of hte rely and i can't find anything like that under the dash that i can see (big silver one). seems silly to pay someone to pull a rely out