AC Compressor clutch squeal - 90 Accord

Too much work.
1- the belt is slipping, only under load of the A/C.
tighten, or apply some belt dressing
2- the clutch itself is chirping on engagement.
spray the clutch surfaces with BrakeKleen with the engine off.
3- live with it ;-)

 

decided to join the conversation on 19 Sep
2003 with message

i had that problem on my 91 civic ... the a/c belt was too loose, so
whenever you had the a/c on, it belt would chirp.. and eventually just
squeal constantly (until you turned the a/c off) ..

i'd definitely check that first.. as it's probably the cheaper solution

--
-Chris

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Had a lot of work done on 90 accord (timing belt, all drive and
accessory belts, hoses etc.) by a competent shop recently.
Not long after I got the vehicle back I had a squeal on intial start
which I thought was a belt slipping. I marginally tightened the belts
and it did not help. After living with it for a while I think it is
actually the AC compressor clutch (only happens when the AC is on). I
have a thought that what brought it on was the shop replacing the
belt and actually bringing the belt tension up to standard from where
it had lossened/stretched.

My manual talks about shims in the clutch assembly. Is it possible to
take out the squeal by rebuilding the clutch assembly? Is it a fairly
complex or tough job. Should I just live with it until it finally
fails then replace?

 

The shims just set the clearance for the clutch - I don't see how the
tightness of the belt should affect this... unless the shaft is wobbling on
its bearings. To reset the clearance, you just need to take the pulley off
the compressor shaft and change or lap the shims. How big a job it is will
depend somehat on what kind of extractor tool is needed to get the pulley
off and if there is sufficient clearance to use it in situ.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

------------------------------
Frank,

You might be surprised how tight those belts are supposed to be. Bear in
mind that you have to back off the lock nut AND the bolt that keeps the
adjuster in place (I'm picturing a '97 CRV but I'm sure it's similar).
You probably won't hurt anything, just remove a LOT of the slack from
that belt. Make it fairly firm, then try to chirp it.

'Curly'

-----------------------------

 

I*d rebuild clutch assembly on similar units and the pulley comes off
with a slight whack. (Don*t whack too hard if it seems stuck, use the
standard method.) The hard part about this is trying to get the
compresser out from the car. Imagine the unwanted contamination,
bleeding freon fumes, etc.

The clutch uses materials that shouldn't squeel (IMO). The squeel
could result from a wearing crank pulley or pulleys or other things.
I*d tried using a *sticky compound* (designed for belts) and applied
to a cloth and wiped the cloth onto the belt suface and pulleys. Too
much and you can't start your car. Use just about right. One
application worked for 100k mile and going strong. Tightening won't
stop it. I'd tried it.

It worked for me.