A/C compressor clutch Finally a cheap Fix!!

[Trebor379]

I searched all over the forums and was unable to find A solution for fixing a messed up A/C compressor clutch without either replacing the entire compressor for 460 bucks or buying the whole clutch assembly from Mazda for 260 bucks. Not wanting to spend that kind of money I Began to do some Research and found out how to fix the clutch for 23 bucks. Here is how i did it.

Step 1, I jacked up the car, removed the passenger side front wheel and removed the inner fender liner to reveal the A/C clutch.

Step 2, I proceeded to remove the 10mm Bolt holding the A/C clutch on, at the same time you must use a flat head screw driver as a wedge to keep the pulley from spinning as you remove the bolt. ( Much easier than it sounds)

Step 3, Now you should be able to remove the clutch by just pulling, I used a flat head screw driver to pry it off. Be care full not to loose the 2 shims on the back side of the clutch they are very important.

Step 4, Now you will be able to remove the C-clip holding the pulley on, and pull the pulley off. I had to use a gear puller to pull mine off due to the fact that the bearing in the clutch pulley was so warped i couldn't pull it out by hand.

Step 5, This was the hard part.. Autozone List a bearing for our A/C compressor clutch online as MT2233.. THIS IS THE WRONG BEARING!!!! So I Take The broken Bearing to a local Bearing Shop and try to buy the exact bearing... The Bearing is a NSK 35BD219DUM1 The bearing shop said they could order me the bearing but it would cost 70 bucks... screw that so i measured the dimensions of the bearing the bearing measures out to be 35x55x20 So I did some more research and found that auto zone carries a bearing in this size But does not list it for our car. THE CORRECT BEARING IS MADE BY SANTECH AND ITS PART NUMBER IS MT2021!! Total cost of the bearing was 23 bucks..

Step 6, i took bearing home and it was already late so i threw the new bearing in the freezer and let it freeze over night. so that it would shrink a bit and be easier to press into the pulley.

Step 7, set pulley on a wood block and use a rubber mallet to gently tap the bearing into place. MAKE SURE TO PRESS BEARING FULLY INTO ITS SEAT ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE PULLEY.

From here, re install in the reverse order and be happy

I will attach pictures of the steps along with a video of how the car sounded with the faulty bearing I hope this is useful and saves a lot of you guys a good chunk of change.

[Easter Bunny]

@Raider; sticky?

[mrmonk7663]

Excellent job Robert. This will save folks some cash.

[Trebor379]

Thanks Mike!

[simply_pandora]

Thank you so much! I noticed my a.c. clutch bearing rattling yesterday and was already dreading having to buy a new compressor. This will certainly save people a lot of money.

Sent while melting in >100° weather :|

[shifter48]

Great job Robert!!! A lot of people will benefit from this.

[lcspeed6]

Thanks for the info, because my compressor is starting to sound like a can of screws.

[Trebor379]

Your welcome man that's exactly what mine did make sure you fix it soon because if it seizes you will be left stranded

[SR388]

Wow, this is super timely! My A/C has been rattling all summer, and I wasn't sure what the issue was. No more A/C till I can do this fix on Monday. I presume not running the A/C will prevent any damage until I can replace the bearing?

Have I ruined the compressor by having it rattling so long? Or is it only damaged when the bearing is seized?

Many thanks btw!

[Trebor379]

Mine was rattling for quite some time before I fixed it and it is doing fine now. It won't ruin your compressor the only thing it might do is wear out the clutch plate a bit faster but I will post a link to the clutch plate it only cost 40 bucks.

But like I was saying my bet is everything will be fine bud

[SR388]

Originally Posted by Trebor379 Mine was rattling for quite some time before I fixed it and it is doing fine now. It won't ruin your compressor the only thing it might do is wear out the clutch plate a bit faster but I will post a link to the clutch plate it only cost 40 bucks. But like I was saying my bet is everything will be fine bud

I presume you are talking about not running the A/C? Would the bearing still seize if I don't run the A/C at all?

Sorry I am a bit confused. I just don't want to risk getting stranded or making a more expensive repair.

[thanox2]

You can get that bearing from Amazon for 30 bucks or so. I'm buying one first thing tomorrow morning.


This is why I love MSF! bringing simple solutions to common expensive problems.

[Trebor379]

Auto parts has it for 23 bucks

[Trebor379]

Yes the bearing can still seize if the ac is off because the pulley never stops spinning. The clutch just disengages from the pulley when the compressor isn't running.

[SR388]

Originally Posted by Trebor379 Yes the bearing can still seize if the ac is off because the pulley never stops spinning. The clutch just disengages from the pulley when the compressor isn't running.

Ok, thanks. Well it's lasted me for the past three months, hopefully it will hold up for about 500 more miles till I can get it fixed on Monday!

[SR388]

Well, I have it a try tonight and failed miserably, when I was loosening the ac compressor to remove tension from the belt, one of the bolts snapped. I also can't get the bearing out. Bummer. Gonna have to stop by mazda or another shop and have them finish the job.

[Trebor379]

What bolts are you talking about? To take the belt off you put a wrench on the tensioner pulley and loosen it and pop the belt off at the same time. There is only one bolt that needs to be removed on the pulley that is right in the middle

To remove the bearing you either need a press or use a hammer and punch on the outer race of the bearing

[SR388]

Originally Posted by Trebor379 What bolts are you talking about? To take the belt off you put a wrench on the tensioner pulley and loosen it and pop the belt off at the same time. There is only one bolt that needs to be removed on the pulley that is right in the middle To remove the bearing you either need a press or use a hammer and punch on the outer race of the bearing

Well darn, I didn't know that. I searched through google and was lead to believe I had to remove the condenser to relieve the tension. It would have been for naught though. I can't get that bearing out to save my life.

[quicksilver celle]

@Trebor379 I was able to replace the bearing. But the clutch still stops... You mentioned you would post a link for a replacement?

[Roddiy]

Originally Posted by Trebor379 What bolts are you talking about? To take the belt off you put a wrench on the tensioner pulley and loosen it and pop the belt off at the same time. There is only one bolt that needs to be removed on the pulley that is right in the middle To remove the bearing you either need a press or use a hammer and punch on the outer race of the bearing

How did you take off the A/C clutch man? I took off my belt, and when I turn the 8mm nut on the A/C the clutch just spins.


I've tried using a flathead to wedge between the clutch and the pulley but then the whole thing spins and I still can't break that nut.

[Trebor379]

On the clutch you will see 3 protruding sections use the screwdriver as a wedge between 2 of the raised sections while turning the bolt out

There is a good picture of this in the online mazda shop manual

[BigRedSpecial]

SOMETHING on my engine is making a huge racket; I assumed it was the tensioner and/or idler pulley but for the sake of $30 I'll do the AC at the same time.

Thanks for the writeup!



Amazon fucking pisses me off. $50 shipping for a $30 bearing. I can ship an intercooler for that.

[Roddiy]

Originally Posted by Trebor379 On the clutch you will see 3 protruding sections use the screwdriver as a wedge between 2 of the raised sections while turning the bolt out There is a good picture of this in the online mazda shop manual

Mmmm, what page of the manual? I'm searching here and can't find it.

[brett]

Im having the same problem. I'm trying to get the clutch off but it's not coming off easy and I'm afraidof damaging it even more.did it take a lot of force to pry it off

[SrananBuru]

How did you get the bearing out? I think I need to find a shop with a press tomorrow. Can't seem to get the bearing out otherwise.

[p057]

awesome info. Tampa NATOR has had two people have their AC's bearings and/or clutch fail miserably and fuck their cars up a bit. especially their wallets.

I'll keep this bookmarked. thanks dood!

[Nitr0EngiE]

Originally Posted by Trebor379 On the clutch you will see 3 protruding sections use the screwdriver as a wedge between 2 of the raised sections while turning the bolt out There is a good picture of this in the online mazda shop manual

there was some promise of some part links and video of bad bearings, may we haz pl0x ???

[josey17]

Thanks for the repair info. Same thing happened to my A/C and I'm in the middle of the repair now. I was able to pull the clutch plate without issues. I had a very difficult time pulling the pulley. I had to use a puller, but I didn't have enough access to align it straight on so it had to go on at angle. Needless to say, I bent the puller and pulley while ripping it out.

I corrected the bent pulley as best as I can and I'm ready to install it back in the car. Issue I'm having is how to install the pulley back on. The thing won't go on. I tried pulling the pulley in the oven (170F) and it's nowhere near enough. I don't want to go hotter as I may damage the sealed bearing seals.

How did you reinstall the repaired pulley on to the compressor? I don't see a good way to press it back on. I don't have much access to tap in either. Any tips or suggestions based on your experience?

Thanks!

[btstarcher]

If the pulley is bent, how exactly is it repaired? Sorry but that's just a bad idea. It needs to be perfectly straight or it will fail pretty quickly.

[josey17]

I used the arbor press to try to get the pulley back in shape. Same press used to remove and install the bearing. I had help from an experience machinist and got the pulley round within 0.008" and flat within 0.020". I figured I'd try to install it and if it didn't work, it has to be replaced.

I got it installed by using the clutch plate and hammering with an 11" extension. I put the belt on and before installing the clutch plate I ran the car. It seemed fine and finished the install and everything including the A/C seems to working fine.

I have to say this quite a challenge as the pulley is not designed to be pulled with the compressor still mounted to the car. Thanks to Trebor379 for doing all of the dirty work in finding the right bearing.

[Gary-L]

I just joined the forum as I came across it in a Google search for the possibility of repairing just the compressor bearing. The one in my car started making occasional grinding sounds a few weeks ago.

So far, this forum appears to be comprised of people who actually work on vehicles as opposed to sticking carbon fiber on the dash or consistently telling people, "I dunno. Take it to the dealer."

Anyway, I found the bearing the OP mentions, on e-Bay: SANTECH IND MT2021 A/C Clutch Bearing-A/C Compressor Clutch Bearing - $13 free standard shipping. Just FYI, but the compatibility section states it is not compatible.

Thank you for the informative write-up and accompanying pictures.

[solort]

What did you use to get the snap ring pliers onto the snap ring (c ring)? or did you use a screwdriver and a lot of 4 letter words? Did you have to unbolt compressor from car to use the puller? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thx

[melly mel]

Sorry to bring thread back but I was reading this and saw mention that the OP found that the incorrect bearing was listed on Autozone for his 2008 MS3 as PN MT2233. Looking at this link there are 2 different compressors listed for the 08; one with a 105mm clutch and another for a 129mm clutch; whereas Autozone only has one listed.

I have a 2006 MS6 and Autozone lists the same bearing dimensions as OP stated of 35x55x20. PN is MT2021 listed here for $21.99. Hope that helps for those that were wondering if this How-To would work for the MS6. I've yet to tackle the project but same dimensions so it should work.

[Blackriver]

my whole clutch assembly fell off the car as I was driving is there any other vehicle's clutch that will work, also my serpentine belt keeps on falling off belt part number 6PK2315

[rpaniagua]

Adding more pictures showing the location of the serpentine belt tensioner, which need to released in order to loose the belt and remove the clutch pulley.
As Trebor 379 mention, the bearing dimensions 35x55x20, I got mine from Ebay ($9.99).
I bought the serpentine belt removing kit and the stands at HarborFreight.
Just in case, do a mark of the tensioner position before release it.
Take a picture of the belt position (belt route) or draw it to easily remember the belt position later.
To remove the pulley is necessary to remove the C clip first, then hit it from the back.
The pulley has a nest were the bearing is seated, means the bearing could be take a part only if HIT it from one side ( clutch face).
Install the new bearing,remember to close the small flap locks for the bearing locate in the pulley, yellow circles highlighted.

Install in the reverse mode, and you saved some money.

[Mazdazilla6]

So if my a/c pulley is seized do I need to replace the bearing, clutch or both?

It's not making any sound except for the belt sliding over the pulley.

[josel]

My 04 3s is making the same grinding noise and a bad smell is coming out like burned wire. So I lifted the car yesterday while changing the oil and decided to check if the a/c compressor is indeed the problem. Told my son to turn the a/c while I was under and to my surprise the damned thing started shooting sparks. I'll try to remove the clutch and see what type of damage it got.

[mrmonk7663]

Nice first post

Originally Posted by rpaniagua Adding more pictures showing the location of the serpentine belt tensioner, which need to released in order to loose the belt and remove the clutch pulley. As Trebor 379 mention, the bearing dimensions 35x55x20, I got mine from Ebay ($9.99). I bought the serpentine belt removing kit and the stands at HarborFreight. Just in case, do a mark of the tensioner position before release it. Take a picture of the belt position (belt route) or draw it to easily remember the belt position later. To remove the pulley is necessary to remove the C clip first, then hit it from the back. The pulley has a nest were the bearing is seated, means the bearing could be take a part only if HIT it from one side ( clutch face). Install the new bearing,remember to close the small flap locks for the bearing locate in the pulley, yellow circles highlighted. Install in the reverse mode, and you saved some money.

[wojowojo16]

I just did this with bearing MT2021 and it was TOO big...thoughts?

[aviator79]

I only get a clanky noise when I turn AC on. Does this point to AC or who knows? replace this bearing and go ahead and replace this bearing, tensioner and idler pully?
TIA.