97 850 - How to replace A/C compressor pulley bearing?

[burnout8488]

I'm happier with this actually, it's cheaper since I don't have to buy refrigerant, o-rings, or a new accumulator! Not breaching the system until its warm out. Can't vacuum the moisture out when its cold. (It won't boil under vacuum unless it's well above 60º ambient)

[abscate]

If you open and close the system in a few hours, you don't have to replace the accumulator. If it is open for the rainy season for months, then replace the accumulator

You do need to buy/rent/steal a vacuum pump to pull it down though, and you can do that in cold weather using a warm water pan to charge.

[cn90]

Please post detail about bearing dimension and brand for future reference.

[burnout8488]

Turns out we both didn't have the bearing dimension correct. Although it may change depending on year for the DKS15CH.

Mine was 35x55x20mm. Autozone had it in stock, surprisingly, although it is off brand. Santech (not Scantech).

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/ ... 3_327188_0_

I'll get this popped in later and hopefully everything bolted back up!

[cn90]

Santech is mostly Chinese products.
For a bearing, probably OK to use Chinese bearing.

However, if you want quality stuff, then many AC compressor makers use Koyo brand.
I know Denso uses Koyo bearing, made in Japan.

Search online if you can get Koyo bearing, but Koyo is expensive!
DAC3555RD3H is $50:
http://www.intheclutchbearings.com/air- ... x-201.html

Cross-reference Number: 35BD219DUK.


Ebay has a Nachi brand for $29:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/35BG05S16G-2DL- ... 0737417680

[burnout8488]

I figured they were Chinese. Convenience won over quality though. I expect it to hopefully last at least 50K though. Even if it dies in 6 months for some reason, it'll be warm outside and I'll have no issue tearing into the car again to put a new compressor in.

I do wish I could have gotten an SKF or Koyo, per your recommendation.

Hope this thread can help someone in the future that tries to tackle this odd job.

[cn90]

Actually, it is not an odd job at all.
Over the years, I have learned that most bearings in the belt(s) areas last about 150K give or take.
- TB Idler pulley bearing
- TB Tensioner pulley bearing
- Serp Belt pulley bearing(s)
At 150K, they have some play, some noise, not bad yet but on the way out. And these are OEM INA brand.

So at 200K miles, I am not surprised the bearing in your AC pulley went out. The thing is: at 200K, most AC compressors are going out too, so people usually replace the whole compressor.

However, what you do is correct: replace ONLY the bad guy.

[burnout8488]

Good info. They do start to sound a bit dry after 150k, but still serviceable.

The funny thing is, once I put the pulley back on with the new bearing, the noise remained! It turned out to be a bit of crud in the pulley scraping against the magnet. Oh well. At least I can be confident that THIS pulley will never fail on her since we're in two different states at the moment. (Hence the reason I go through every car she has with a fine tooth comb, to avoid the nightmare of a highway breakdown when I'm not there!)

Last pic with new bearing:

[cn90]

My 1998 S70 GLT with 172K miles: AC Pulley is free-wheeling since 165K or so. I kind of ignore it.
So my option at this time is to either:

a. Re-grease the bearing
b. Install new bearing as in this thread

But the $1M question is: what is the simplest way of doing this? Can I simply undo the AC compressor mounting bolts and angle the compressor downward to do the bearing exchange?

[Ozark Lee]

But the $1M question is: what is the simplest way of doing this? Can I simply undo the AC compressor mounting bolts and angle the compressor downward to do the bearing exchange?

Yes.

You can move it around quite a bit front and back and it moves quite easily. It will tilt but with some resistance since the rubber lines are fairly stiff.

...Lee