My experiencing replacing the AC clutch pulley bearing on '04 V70

[jrschwit]

I just bought this car as a fixer-upper. Seller said the power steering pump was bad. When I looked at it, a dry bearing noise was coming from the AC compressor area which noticeably changed volume/pitch when the compressor kicked on and off. Fortunately, it still cooled well and the pulley was not so loose that the driven plate was damaged. Peppermint, for one, has a Utube video on removing the bearing. The only major challenge in removal was pulling the bearing/pulley ass'y off the compressor housing. A decent puller with a few workarounds did the trick. $40 for a new bearing and it's back in service. I readjusted the clutch gap during disassembly. Very much worth the time and modest expense.

Turns out that these low-profile double angular-contact bearings are ubiquitous in automotive AC compressors. I could have paid as little as $11 for a new bearing but reliable quality was my main consideration. My experience rebuilding high precision lathe spindles led me to genuine NSK made in Japan.
Jim

[02V70]

I had the same problem with the bad bearing clicking noise when the AC compressor turned on. In my case it was the serpentine belt tensioner that was going bad and made the noise. I'm not quite sure why the noise was more prominent with the ac compressor on. Maybe since it is right next to it, it was experiencing more stress?

[sandova]

It sounds like you handled the compressor bearing replacement skillfully, and it's fantastic to hear you found a quality solution with the NSK bearing. Those low-profile double angular-contact ball bearings indeed pop up across a lot of automotive AC compressors, and opting for a quality brand like NSK was a wise move—especially with your background in precision work on lathe spindles. The extra investment in a reliable bearing should help keep the system running smoothly for the long haul. Adjusting the clutch gap was also a great call, as that often gets overlooked but can make a big difference in compressor performance and longevity. Hopefully, the power steering issue is similarly straightforward!