Today, air conditioners are both in rooms and in cars. Both systems have a similar design and operating principle. One of these common parts is the air conditioning compressor clutch. Nissan, Renault and even VAZs equipped with air conditioning systems have this element in their construction.
As you know, each device that provides air cooling has a special compressor. It is needed to compress gaseous refrigerant, which provides a cold air stream. No modern compressor can do without a clutch that disconnects it from the drive pulley. How does she act?
The clutch of the air conditioner compressor is activated continuously, including when the entire system is turned off. Remarkably, earlier instances of these parts looked like a solenoid. The latter was interconnected with the drive pulley of the compressor, as a result of which the part repeated its movements. Modern devices are significantly different from their ancestors. At the moment, all the couplings of the air conditioning compressor are stationary, and can be located in front of the mechanism itself.
The principle of operation of this device is to supply power to the solenoid, after which a magnetic field is generated in the system and the disk is pressed against the drive pulley. For this reason, air conditioning compressor clutches are often called electromagnetic. It is also worth noting that the operation of this device takes away about 5-10 horsepower from the car, which, of course, is displayed on the dynamics of acceleration and efficiency. Recently, air conditioning compressor couplings, which require the use of special types of lubrication, have been installed on cars. This is due to the special design and a more advanced principle of operation.
How to understand that a car needs to replace an air conditioning compressor clutch? This mechanism is an important detail in the system of the air conditioner, so it needs to be given special attention. Among the main signs it is worth highlighting the noise of the mechanism when turning on / off the system. Another important detail is the clearance on the electromagnetic clutch. If it is not adjusted correctly, this can lead to slipping or even failure of the pulley. Following the pulley, the clutch itself will break.
Another sign of replacement of this part is wear on the slot of the mechanism. He usually wears out naturally. If this part becomes unusable, the air conditioner compressor couplings should be replaced completely. Of course, you can make repairs, but the cost of this work is not much more than the price of a new part. Therefore, almost no one is engaged in repairing this device. After purchasing a new air conditioner compressor clutch, you will not only significantly save your time, but also be sure of its serviceability. There are frequent cases when a repaired part after several weeks again fails.