A/C Compressor or Clutch

[velorider]

Over the last year or more every time the A/C engages there is a click noise and when driving you can tell when the A/C engages. Now when the car idles and the A/C engages the idle drops before recovering. It drops enough to stutter the engine like its about to stall.

I know very little about the A/C system so I'm hoping someone here can help pin point the cause: A/C compress, Clutch, or something else.

Thanks
John

[velorider]

I've read a lot about the A/C clutch gap but had not read that this would cause a stalling effect but decided to try it anyways. Short story is it seems to have fixed the problem. The long story is I did actually reshimmed rather then the beard clip fix.

Thanks to the loaner program at O'riely and Autozone I was able to get the two tools needed to remove the clutch and swap out the shims without removing the A/C compressor. I was hoping to make a pictorial of it but it took most of my focus to figure out the repair. Now that it’s done, it actually wasn't too difficult. I would give it a 4+ on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s important to read and inspect the pictures from this post. volvoforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6665.

Tools:

O'Riely had a A/C clutch puller tool (67100), to make this tool work go to a local hardware store and pick up three 5mmX40mm bolts. The bolts included with the puller tool will not thread onto the clutch plate, so you need to pick up some that will. The tool threads into the 3 threaded hole on the face of the clutch plate.

67100

Autozone had a A/C clutch holder tool needed to hold the clutch and remove the 10mm bolt holding on the clutch plate.

Procedure:

Again sorry for no picture, they are truly worth a thousand words.

1. Remove the front plastic splash guard below the front bumper. There are two bolts, one each side of the slash guard and two tabs toward the front. Insert a screw driver to release the tab.

2. Remove the serpentine belt

3. Discount the air tube running over the engine, including the rubber portion just above the A/C compressor.

4. Unbolt the 4 bolts holding the A/C compressor in place.

5. Grab the compressor and slide it back, toward the left side of the car. It won't move much but that is enough to get the tools installed in front of it.

6. From under the car, where the slash guard was removed you can install the counter hold tool from Autozone and a 10mm ratchet to remove the bolt holding on the clutch plate.

7. Once the bolt is removed install the A/C clutch puller and remove the clutch plate. Careful the shim are install between the clutch plate and compressor so they many fall out.

8. Reshim with the correct size. Measure the gab before you began so you know how much to remove. Mine was .8mm so I should have removed .4mm of shims. I strongly suggest you get the shim kit from Volvo before you start. I spent a hour with a knife sharper thinning out the .8mm spacer down to .6mm. Mine had a .1mm and a .8mm so I ended up reshimming to .5mm.

9. Now reinstall the clutch plate and tap lightly with a mallet, just enough to seat it. I pressed the clutch plate back on simply by tighten the 10mm clutch plate bolt.

10. Reinstall and tighten everything in reserver.

Again study the pictures from the other post, they help add color to the written procedure.