AC Clutch

CurtisW

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Location
Portland, OR
TDI
'96 Passat
Hi,

I'm new to these forums, to TDIs, and to car ownership in general. I am traveling to the west coast in my '96 Passat TDI sedan with around 150,000 miles on it. I am in New Orleans at the moment, and I took the car in to Sacco Imports (it was recommended in these forums) to have the check engine light diagnosed. The light is fine, but they said that the engine is running pretty loud (I'd noticed that too) because of the AC clutch which has gone bad, and could seize up at any time - something I don't want to have happen in the middle of the desert somewhere. They said it'll be $713 to get it replaced - and that's not even with the labor. Does anyone know how much I should be paying for a new AC clutch? Do I have any other options? Is this a normal problem that I would have had to deal with anyway? Any info you could give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Curtis
 

BeeselDietle

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2006
Location
Pensacola, Fl.
TDI
01 beetle
You can by the whole compressor for less than that,(around $400) check on ebay, or google VW a/c compressor. You will find many options.
 

rdkern

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 21, 2004
Location
Humboldt Co CA
TDI
Passat 1997 silver (sold after 11 years), Jetta 2000 atlantic blue
I had mine go out on me on the way home from Las Vegas (the ac wasn't working prior to that, but with it off, all seemed fine). This time of year isn't bad not to have AC, but it's a real pain trying to get the alternator to work without the AC there. If you take the entire AC unit off, you can put a smaller belt to run the alternator.

I believe it cost me about $600-700 on the road to have the compressor purchased and installed - not charged. I wanted to get home, and was lucky to get that work done in a short period of time. To get the ac running would have been more time, but not much more money.

Purchase a new/rebuild one and install yourself you will save money. Get it fixed, in one way or another, before your trip. You can drive 50 miles (at least I did) without the alternator, but you'd rather not have to deal with spending a night or two in a town that isn't nowhere, but you can see nowhere from there.

Which part of the left coast are you coming to?
 

CurtisW

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Location
Portland, OR
TDI
'96 Passat
Thanks for all the tips - I'll definetly just order the part myself. How involved is replacing whole compressor? I have only basic tools - and nothing car-related. I plan to move to Berkley, CA or maybe Portland, I'm not sure yet.
 

wrenchman30

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Location
arkansas
TDI
2005.5 gray 2006 dark blue
ideally you will need to recover the freon, remove any hoses, remove the compressor, since you havent had a compressor failure you can get by with not flushing the system, measure the oil in the new compressor if it has any to verify the amount, if no oil you will need to add the correct amount and type of oil (castrol is compatible with all oils) into the compressor. reinstall the compressor, vacuum the system down, check for vacuum holding, add freon. if just your clutch bearing is bad it would be easier to replace it if you have any mechanical experience at all. you will need the correct compressor remover and installation tool. the compressor if access is ok doesnt have to be removed or system recovered.
 

wrenchman30

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Location
arkansas
TDI
2005.5 gray 2006 dark blue
the picture starwars posted shows a typical sanden compressor type clutch. one special tool is all that is need to remove the clutch. and a couple sets of snap ring pliars. if access is avaiable i have done them in a half hour.
 

Jetter_Sprinta

Veteran Member - TDIClub Contributor
Joined
Nov 7, 2002
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
TDI
2 Peeps sharing 1 UseYerName//an array of cars
This guy, Curtis, a really nice guy, is the new owner of my Windsor Blue sedan. :eek: I'm feeling bad here that it's giving him trouble.

CurtisW said:
They said it'll be $713 to get it replaced - and that's not even with the labor.
Also that price was for the clutch only:eek: !! Man this Sacco Imports Place is a bit pricey! I would not even want to know what they'd want for the compressor job.

Can the clutch only be bought? All I'm seeing in my searches is the whole compresor. At 150K, should he just replace the whole assembly anyways? What's the life expectancy of the compressor? My feeling is that it's got a ways to go. We've got 190+ on our wagon and I'm pretty sure it's original.
 
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wrenchman30

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Location
arkansas
TDI
2005.5 gray 2006 dark blue
the bearing is the bad part. if the clutch isnt slipping its ok. however finding the exact bearing is sometimes a issue. being a professional mechanic i am a cheap bastard and would replace the bearing if time permitted. finding the clutch only could be a problem as most parts houses only stock certain items and repair shops want to sell labor plus parts. and there is more labor involved with the compressor replacement. my compressor is down low but once the splash guard is removed the clutch could be very easy to remove. however it could be obstructed. if it is accessable the job could be done with out removing any bolts. all you have to remove is the ac clutch nut. pull the clutch off with the puller. remove snap ring. remove the coil pack, remove dust seal, remove snap ring, use screw drivers to push bearing off of front of ac compressor. install new pulley with new bearing assembly. install snap ring, install dust shield (or not) install coil. install snap ring. reuse old shim. put on clutch. tighten nut. do not over tighten. check compressor air clutch gap. should be .007-.015.
 

CurtisW

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Location
Portland, OR
TDI
'96 Passat
Thanks wrenchman - I don't think I'll do this myself. Where in Arkansas are you? I'm down in New Orleans at the moment, and was planning on going up there next. Would you be willing to do it? What would you charge? Will the clutch make it that far? If I can't find just the clutch I'll try and buy a compressor and just take the clutch off of it to save draining the system and all of that.
 

Jetter_Sprinta

Veteran Member - TDIClub Contributor
Joined
Nov 7, 2002
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
TDI
2 Peeps sharing 1 UseYerName//an array of cars
:cool: Yes, thanks wrenchman.

Looks like www.TDIParts.com may be able to get the clutch only.

Cheapest alternative overall . The A/C cranks in that car, it would be nice to have only clutch replaced.
 

BleachedBora

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Location
Gresham, Oregon
TDI
'81 DMC-12, '15 GL350 CDI 275 hp/448 tq - '81 Caddy CJAA, '05 E320 CDI 250hp/450 tq, '23 ID4 AWD Pro S Plus
New OEM A/C Clutch: $299
Reman complete AC compressor with clutch: $349
Let me know if either sounds good to you.
Regardless, good luck!
-BB

PS And apparently I posted when JS did...
 

CurtisW

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Location
Portland, OR
TDI
'96 Passat
BB - I'd much rather spend $299 than $713.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and find a shop that is more reasonably priced, and also if they can use a part that I bring in myself rather than one they order for me. I'm in the south, I figure a bunch of places will know about AC systems.
 

BleachedBora

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Location
Gresham, Oregon
TDI
'81 DMC-12, '15 GL350 CDI 275 hp/448 tq - '81 Caddy CJAA, '05 E320 CDI 250hp/450 tq, '23 ID4 AWD Pro S Plus
Good luck! If you end up going my route feel free to give me a call at 801 762 6106 as I'll be off and on tomorrow--gotta get going on classes a bit!
Cheers!
-Aaron
 

CurtisW

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Location
Portland, OR
TDI
'96 Passat
I thought I'd post the conclusion to my a/c clutch problem. I was able to order just the clutch (without the compressor) - paid half of what Sacco Imports wanted for it. I did bring it back to them to do the work. I had called a couple of other shops in New Orleans, and the price on the labor was about the same. It seems as though they just overcharge on parts. Thanks again for all the help!

Curtis
 
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