Possible AC compressor clutch pulley gone bad?

I need your opinions and advice. I have a 1994 Ford Taurus 3.8L V6 with

138,000 miles on it. I was driving it today and I started smelling a burning odor (like when some applies the brakes really really hard - graphite type odor). I pulled over and there was some smoke coming from the ac compressor area. I got the car home, and the ac pulley seems wobbly and is making a clunking noise.

The serpentine belt has a crack in it that I discovered after the smell and seeing the smoke. The car doesn't smoke if I keep the heater and/or ac off. But the ac pulley is definitely wobbling and is making a noise clunking noise.

Do you think it is the ac compressor or the clutch? Would it be better just to have the ac compressor pulled and have a motormite ac bypass pulley installed with a new belt?

Reply to
CJ
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If the noise/smoke happens when you turn on the AC but goes away with it off, the compressor is smoked. If it's quiet with the system is off then the pulley and bearing are ok, just unplug the connector for the cycling switch on the accumulator (AC can) near the passenger side firewall or unplug the connector from the clutch coil. This will keep it from engaging. No real need for the bypass pulley.

Reply to
Tom Adkins

When you first crank it up, it makes a clunking noise and then it stops. Would the car be driveable to work? I work 30 miles one way.

Reply to
CJ

It's most likely the ball bearings for the AC Compressor pulley - there are separate bearings so the pulley can spin freely on the nose of the compressor when the air is off. The pulley is hollow so the clutch electromagnet coil rides inside it, and it pulls the clutch plate into the front of the pulley to engage the air conditioner compressor.

It goes together in a multi-layered stack, kind of like those Russian Nesting Dolls. Ingenious design work.

You can buy a replacement idler pulley that comes with a new ball bearing, they are fairly easy to swap out. Except on an E-250 Van where the AC compressor is buried at the very bottom of the engine, and you do it all on a creeper and have to invent a puller tool to get the old pulley off with limited space to work - DAMHIKT.

Replace the AC clutch plate at the same time, and now both mating parts are new. And it sounds like you are due for a new drive belt also. If the magnet coil works, leave it alone.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

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