ac clutch

[supton]

On the way home tonight I turned on ac. I thought idle was a bit rough but did not think much of it. Halfway home I think I noticed low output, or rough idea; do not remember. I cycled the ac off then back on. I suddenly got a strong smell of dragging brake--I figured it was a large truck, as I creeping along the highway in heavy traffic.

Few miles later, no ac.

I did check, and one fan comes on with the ac switch. The light in the ac button comes on. But it does not look like the compressor is doing anything, and it smells like a hot brake under the hood. Might that just be a bad clutch, or a sign of a bad compressor?

The irony of this is, I was driving my Jetta today under the impression that it would be cheaper than my truck...

 

[Chris142]

Bad compressor if it only did it with the AC engaged. Dont forget to replace the condenser, dryer and flush everything else when you fix it.

 

[Trav]

I see someone else has the same thoughts while i was writing the post.

 

[Nick1994]

I thought one of your electric fans doesn't work? Would not enough airflow over the condenser cause problems?

My car needed a new condensor in 2012 after a small toolbox was run over on the freeway and a wrench went through it... Just the part at the dealer was $800, so if it needs a new condensor as well it might not be worth it.

 

[supton]

Yeah, one fan,the larger one,died a couple years ago. I doubt the smaller one runs too much.

I went out at lunch and I can spin the compressor by hand. I would presume this to be a good sign?

 

[scurvy]

Both fans should run in slow speed when the AC is on - assuming this is on your Jetta?

DanG's post on TDIClub remains my go-to for anything AC related: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=242699

 

[Nick1994]

I think with the engine off they can always be spun by hand, since it's not engaged.

I'm not sure but maybe the only way to see how it turns would be to take off the serpentine belt and start the engine, turn on the A/C and then while the engine is running see how the compressor turns? Not sure though.

 

[supton]

Both fans should run, yes; but when I went to replace the bad one, I stripped the lowest screw. I decided that I didn't know how long it had been inoperative, and I did not want the job to escalate. Hence only one fan. Been just fine for a couple of years.

Bentley has a check on the wiring, but a search shows others have done this repair, so I think just replacing the clutch makes sense. I will do whatever checks I see, then go from there.