Need advice with fixing AC compressor clutch air gap Topic is solved

[volvofanCT]

Hello folks. I have been an MVS lurker ever since I bought a 2002 Volvo S80 a few months ago. I have learned a lot of new things about Volvo cars, which I am very grateful for. The admins and mods of these forums have my gratitude.

Right now, I am experiencing the classic AC compressor clutch gap issue that is so common with these Volvos. I measured the air gap between the clutch and the pulley and it came out to somewhere between .88 to .89 mm. I tried the zip tie fix that I have seen many other posters here use successfully. However, I was not able to get the fix done going in either from the engine bay or through the wheel well. The main issue I had was that once I got the zip tie in, I couldn't grab its "tail" to lock it into the "head". Maybe I was using the wrong location on the clutch to insert the zip ties in.

That leads me to this question. Can I use washers instead of zip ties to shim the clutch instead? Home Depot sells these 3 mm washers that are .55 mm thick. Using them as shims would ideally bring the gap down to .33 mm, which is within spec. I am envisioning a washer for each half circle, with a total of six, and a dab of JB weld to hold them in place against the clutch. Would that work?

[Krons]

I’ve not needed to secure the zip tie, just get it behind the spring and cut off excess. This has worked with me. Very tight access on my S60 and XC90, much easier on C70.

[volvofanCT]

You are preaching to the choir about the lack of space Krons! A quick question though. Have you ever had an unsecured zip tie wriggle loose and go flying in the bay?

[Krons]

You are preaching to the choir about the lack of space Krons! A quick question though. Have you ever had an unsecured zip tie wriggle loose and go flying in the bay?

No I haven’t. The edges of the metal spring mechanism are sharp enough (or my Harbor Freight zip ties soft enough) that even with ends trimmed short they don’t go anywhere. While there is some centrifugal force the spring has plenty of tension to hold them in place.

I’ve only needed to add three typical size zip ties per clutch to close the gap enough to make up for the clutch wear. Tried some heavier duty zip ties on my C70 and closed the gap too much.

I’ve found a long flat screwdriver the best tool to wedge between the spring and make enough space to push in a zip tie.

[volvofanCT]

I see. Thank you for the insight Krons.

As far as the zip ties go, I guess the key is to ensure that their thickness, once they are inserted and deformed by pressure, is less than the distance required to close in to bring the clutch gap up to spec. In my case, the thickness of the ties once they are inserted and deformed should be less than the distance between the actual gap (.88 mm) minus the min gap (.3 mm)= .58 mm.

[volvofanCT]

You are preaching to the choir about the lack of space Krons! A quick question though. Have you ever had an unsecured zip tie wriggle loose and go flying in the bay?

No I haven’t. The edges of the metal spring mechanism are sharp enough (or my Harbor Freight zip ties soft enough) that even with ends trimmed short they don’t go anywhere. While there is some centrifugal force the spring has plenty of tension to hold them in place.

I’ve only needed to add three typical size zip ties per clutch to close the gap enough to make up for the clutch wear. Tried some heavier duty zip ties on my C70 and closed the gap too much.

I’ve found a long flat screwdriver the best tool to wedge between the spring and make enough space to push in a zip tie.

I carried out the fix and so far, the AC is working great! I followed your suggestions by using three thinner zip ties and not tying them up once inserted. Thanks Krons!!!

[victoriaemmy]

If your AC compressor clutch air gap is wrong, the compressor compressor clutch air gapclutch won't engage or may engage but slip. slope game