A/C clutch replacement

A few weeks ago I was sitting idle when I noticed that the A/C stopped blowing cold and after some very quick investigation I found out that the rubber on the A/C clutch face had ripped. I looked around for a replacement clutch and I kept seeing made in China replacements for around $100 or more. I also thought to my self if the Ford unit lasted 28 years and 95k miles maybe I should look for some Ford parts and hope for another 28 years and 95k miles.

First up was realizing that I would need to scout eBay for the NOS parts. The A/C clutch is made of 3 main parts:

• The clutch
• The coil
• The pulley

One thing that I need to point out is most part suppliers list two A/C compressors for our cars depending if the A/C was factory or dealer installed. The factory installed compressor is made in Japan by Denso and it's model number 6P148A, that apparently is also used on some 911 Porsche models. To determine which compressor you have, look for the sticker:


Through a lot of cross-referencing I was able to find what the FORD part numbers are for these components. As we all know Ford likes to have many part numbers for the same part, they change based on year of engineering and revision. Anyhow below is a photo of the three components I picked up from eBay for a grand total of $128.13 tax and shipping:

Here is a close up of the clutch and part number:




Details of the coil:




And finally the pulley. The pulley assembly includes a new bearing, so no need to purchase that separately:

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As I said the reason was pretty obvious why the A/C clutch was not engaging:


Special tools needed:


OEMTools 27000 A/C clutch holding wrench:


OEMTools 27002 A/C clutch puller:


As an important side note, the puller above was too small to fit the threads of me factory A/C clutch, but fit the replacement one perfectly. I had to go to O'Reilly and borrow their A/C clutch tool kit EverTough 67100. This includes a few different size pullers and one fit the old one perfectly.

Here is how the holding wrench fits onto the A/C clutch face to hold it still while you try to loosen the 13mm (again in my case, I've read 12mm in other places) nut:




After some chosen words for the holding wrench screws that kept on coming loose, I was able to remove the nut from the center shaft and then using the puller I was able to remove the clutch:


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Now you will need some circlip pliers to remove the snap ring that holds the pulley in place. attention to which side face the pulley and which side faces the clutch. It must be re-installed the same way it was removed. Once that is off the pulley just slides off:


There is a second circlip that hold the coil in place. It's hard to see and I was not able to take a great picture:


Once removed just slide off the coil:


Slide the new coil onto the shaft and secure with the circlip and repeat with the pulley:

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I tried checking the air gap of the clutch to pulley using the stock shim, but it was not enough. The factory manual calls for 0.021"-0.036". Here are the dimensions of the factory shim I had:




And the ID of the new clutch shaft:


Those shims are not easy to find. Of all places Autozone was able to order them. I got two different thicknesses:

• Santech MT0082 0.48" OD, 0.337" ID, 0.008" thick.
• Santech MT0083 0.48" OD, 0.337" ID, 0.020" thick.

When checking the air gap with a feeler gauge be sure to tighten the shaft nut to the proper torque value with a torque wrench. I THINK the value is aorund 14 lb/ft. If you check the gap without performing this step it will get tighter with the nut installed.


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Now enjoy some before and after pictures:





A few notes that I left out of my previous posts and that the forum won't let me edit:

• I would remove the compressor from the bracket once the clutch is removed. It made it easier to remove the circlips with the pliers.
• Make sure you do not lose the original shim when removing the clutch.
• There are several part numbers for the same parts. Use picture to determine if you are buying the right components.
• After I installed the new clutch and before turning the A/C on, I spun the compressor by hand to make sure it was not locked up and tear up my new clutch.
• Double check the shop manual for torque and shim thickness values, I'm working from memory.
• I found the OEMTools listed at Summit.

Total cost of the parts needed came to $140.36. Yes it was more expensive than the $99.99 from LMR and the $86.49 from Autozone, but I had a great learning experience getting the parts together.

stanglx2002 said:

Does anyone have the list of all the different original part numbers that can be added to this thread?

I was looking up the A/C Compressor Clutch Coil YB358, but also saw another (cheaper but still NOS Ford) and looked to be the same part YB341. Both are NOS Ford parts but would think we all can benefit from putting all the "same" parts numbers for those (3) parts. I am about to replace the these parts in the next month or so so it would be super helpful.

Click to expand...

What I have found during my initial search:

• Clutch hub
  • E43Z-2884-A
  • E43Z-19D786-A
  • E43H-19D786-AA
  • YB-289
  • YB-289A
• Clutch pulley
  • E4ZZ-19D784-A
  • E2ZH-19D784-A
  • E2ZH-19D784-AA
  • YB-316-A
• Clutch coil
  • E8DH-19D798-A
  • E8LY-2987-A
  • E8LH-19D798-BA
  • E9DH-19D798-AA
  • YB-357
  • YB-358-A

Hope these help someone.