dorvin

Hello all,

I recently picked up a '97 Oldsmobile 88 that I intend to use as a daily driver. Recently, I replaced the head and intake gaskets, in preparation to get this car road worthy. Following a 450 mile trip out to Chicago, I noticed a grinding sound when turning off the AC within the car. Following a little investigation, I found a significant amount of metal shavings surrounding the AC compressor. Here's a picture:

http://imgur.com/Kq0vAou

Interestingly, the AC on this car still works perfect to cool the cabin of the car, and the grinding noise only shows up when the AC is off. I'm guessing the bearing within the compressor is starting to go, hence the metal shavings. I may look into replacing the compressor, as it would be ideal to have working air conditioning, as summer is right around the corner. Is there anything I can do prior to completely replacing the compressor to try to have this compressor last a little longer? Also, am I at risk of this compressor seizing up at this point, potentially leaving me stranded / or damaging the rest of the AC system?

Junkman

It appears that the electromagnetic clutch mechanism is failing. It can be replaced, without loosing the charge, and that would be the best way to fix this problem. I couldn't tell from the picture exactly which compressor that you have, however, the replacement of the clutch is quite generic among the GM compressor lines. Unless you have the tools and the expertise, then I would leave this job to someone else that has both the tools and expertise. Don't let someone convince you to replacing the compressor, since a sealed working system is better than a system that has been opened, and then recharged. With air conditioning, the less you mess with them, the better off you are. Replace only the defective part, not the whole component. This happened to a friend while on a trip, and the shop said it would be best to replace the compressor, with a rebuilt. The rebuilt came apart in a couple hundred miles, and contaminated the entire system with metal particles. Your metal particles are coming from the clutch plate, so no need to replace the compressor itself, just for a defective clutch.

dorvin

Junkman,

Thank you for offering your insight. I was not aware that the clutch alone could be rebuilt/repaired in these compressors. That's great news. I will take your advice regarding taking this repair to a shop nearby. I have a limited set of tools and work space available to me right now, so that's really my only option. Given the current condition of the clutch, would you recommend keep this car off the road until I can schedule time to have it done?

Junkman

I would recommend that you not run the air conditioning until the clutch is replaced. You might have to purchase a complete rebuilt compressor unit to get the clutch assembly, because I am not certain of the availability of the clutch alone. Some of those compressors are so deeply buried in the engine compartment, that you darn near have to remove the engine to get them out. I would talk to a couple of shops, and find one that you feel comfortable using based on their level of expertise. I know that around here, there is a mobile air conditioning mechanic that does the work for most of the shops, and he is very experienced in all the different makes. This is the type of person that you want to be looking for. If there is an old time GM dealership around where you live, they might have an experienced mechanic that can handle the job. You just don't want the mechanic learning on your car. If you can find a service manual for your year car, the service procedure will be shown.
Here is a picture of the clutch assembly, for under $90 including shipping on eBay.

dorvin

Thank you for the advice. I poked around another another cruise the other day, and saw that the shavings were not increasing dramatically, hopefully allowing me some time to shop around. The shavings weren't actually accumulating at all. While I had the car up on jack stands, I was able to grab the model of the compressor, seen here:

http://imgur.com/F8Su3yo

And you're right, it looks like it would be a bear to try to work on the compressor with the space it's tucked into. I hope I can get this repaired, as having AC in the summer months sure would be handy.