Ford A/C clutch problems?

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brages

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Feb 7, 2013
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Have you ever had a problem with a Ford A/C clutch? I'm working on a 2014 Fusion 2.0T. It's got some other problems, but yesterday the A/C started acting up.

The A/C ran for just a bit, but then quit cooling. A little later, at a stoplight, smoke started coming from under the hood. I turned off the A/C and continued driving without issues.

Looking at it, there's a lot of melted goo around the clutch itself. But the belt looks pretty OK. So something from in the clutch was slipping rather than the belt. My first hunch was that the compressor locked up and then the clutch got fried trying to engage with a locked compressor.

BUT from searching online, I see a lot of people with Fords from this era who had a problem where the the clutch plate FELL OFF. So I am wondering if something got loose on the clutch and it smoked itself because the clutch wasn't able to continue staying engaged.

I'm going to try to turn the compressor manually to test the "locked up" theory. Unfortunately, it's kind of hard to access and if there's something messed up with the clutch that could affect how well it turns, or not.
 
As someone who has swapped a few clutches with/without success... I'd just put another compressor on it unless its extremely easy to access. I changed the clutch on my CRV with it on the vehicle and lines hooked up and it was miserable and then the clutch didn't fix it.. Also clutches are usually pretty expensive by themselves.
 
Well, it turns out the compressor is indeed locked up. The rubber in the clutch gave out in response to the compressor failure.
 
brages said:
Well, it turns out the compressor is indeed locked up. The rubber in the clutch gave out in response to the compressor failure.
Click to expand...
Well in that case you're doing compressor, condenser and expansion valve.. Good luck!

On my CRV the clutch would engage randomly and the problem ended up being a failsafe temp sensor that was mounted to the compressor..
 
You'll need to replace the dryer as the system will be open to the atmosphere.
 
I believe the dryer is in the condenser.

Good news was the condenser and expansion valve are cheap ($60 and $18) closeouts from Rock Auto at the moment.
 
I meant to say that was the price for Motorcraft, which I'm assuming is going to be good quality. I think the Motorcraft expansion valve is marked Denso.

Otherwise, those are typical RA prices for UAC or whatever, but I haven't been impressed with generic AC components.
 
Last edited:
Got it all back together... had a little scare because my junkyard compressor didnt seem to be actually doing any pumping when I spun the pulley. This is the first time I've dealt with a variable displacement compressor. I actually went back to the junkyard and pulled another one, but it felt the same when I spinned it, so I assumed that that's just how they were.

Once I got it all hooked up, it seemed to work just fine.
 
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Drove it to work today and two problems came up: 1. CEL for low boost because I didn't tighten the clamp enough and one of the intake tubes on the intercooler popped off.

2. I failed to buy a "stretch belt" and the belt squeals a lot. I didn't realize there was a difference, and Rockauto listed both stretch and non-stretch belts for the application. One of the many catches with Rockauto!
 
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