308 a/c clutch removal procedure ?

Hello from Germany,

now, that I have got my new York-style compressor I wonder what's the best way and what tools are necessary for removal of the a/c clutch.
Does anyone of you have any hints for me how to remove the clutch from the old compressor without damaging anything ?

Best Regards and thank you in advance

Martin

 

Martin I seem to recall when I removed mine all I did was take the front shaft nut off using an air gun and then removed the 4 screws behind the pulley. That took a little time as I remember I had to use a thin wrench to remove them. The clutch is keyed on the shaft buy mine slid right off with just a tap of a hammer. It is a tapered shaft . Good luck

 

The hub of the pulley is threaded and there is a coarse thread bolt that fits, do not recall the size. Remove the retaining bolt in the center, thread in the big bolt and give it a quick blast with an air gun and it pops right off.

 

Yep --- the bolt size is 5/8"-11, and you will want it to be about 2" to 3" long.

The shaft retaining bolt is thread-locked, so you will need to hit it with an impact wrench as well. The shaft is keyed and tapered, but a bit of corrosion usually has the clutch pulley stuck on there enough to need to use the large bolt / impact wrench as a "tool" to break it loose. Smear some grease on the threads and end of the bolt first, it will bottom out against the end of the shaft and push the pulley off it ---- works very well.

Once you have the pulley off, access to the (4) bolts that hold down the coil magnet housing assembly is easy. Be extremely careful with the magnet and its potted wire lead so that you do not damage anything ---- THIS is the piece that is NLA / irreplaceable and also the piece that fails and makes the clutch not work.

 

The clutch itself is a rare expensive part.....be careful!

Good luck....

 

Thanks a lot to all of you.
Remains the problem where to obtain a 5/8" UNC - bolt over here.

Best Regards

Martin

 

Hello from Germany,

each day more parts for reactivation of my a/c system arrive at my home.
And more trouble.
This time it's the Hi-Low-Switch. I got one with a 3/8-24 UNF male thread and had to discover, that the original switch has a metric M10x1 male thread.
It seems to be impossible to obtain such a switch anywhere.

Does anyone of you know of a solution ?
At the moment I think of an adapter from with male 3/8 UNF to female M10x1. This adapter I could manufacture myself on my lathe.
But I hate adapters because they cause one more potential leak area.

Best Regards

Martin

 

Should be able to find it here;

http://www.action-ac.com/catalog/sub/35-50.htm

 

Page 444 and on, Best cataloge ever;

http://www.meicorporation.com/pdfs/Switches09.pdf

 

Also great service guide;

http://www.meicorporation.com/pdf/pdfs_compressorffield.pdf

 

That bolt is also sold as a standard A/C tool. Since you are in Germany try A/C service tool sources. It is sometimes sold with a fine thread as well for other applications and should not be expensive.

 

16mm is awfully close ---- might try it to see if it fits ? Thread pitch matching could be a problem though...

 

Don't think I have seen anything that coarse. He might try the bridge building supply store.

 

Or try here:

http://www.portlandbolt.com/products/bolts/?gclid=CPGqpoqRqsACFc1i7Aod-CcAbg

 

Yes, the pitch is the problem. Metric pitches are designated mm per turn. Regular M16 has a pitch of 2mm per turn.
5/8-11 would mean a pitch of 2,3mm per turn. This difference is too much. This would not work without damaging the thread.
BTW; the thread angle is also different. 50° vs. 60° IRRC.

Best Regards

Martin

 

BTW;
Has anybody ever replaced the bearing inside the a/c clutch ?

Best Regards

Martin

 

There are a lot of 5/8" UNC nuts on eBay in the UK - see 5/8 unc nut | eBay

If you want me to buy you 2 or 3 and send them to you I am happy to do so.

 

I have not needed to personally --- the bearings I have run across all were okay.

Also, at least with the clutch assemblies I have seen that Ferrari uses (on its older cars, such as the 308) ---- in particular, the clutch made by "Borletti". The bearing is swaged in place, so removing it and then being able to secure a new one would require some machining, and there is not enough height in the bearing hub to cut in a recess for an internal circlip retainer (which is what should have been done in the original design, IMHO). It seems clear that Borletti, et al intended for the entire pulley assembly to be replaced if the bearing goes bad --- which likely made sense back in the day when these units were available as replacement parts, but not today when new ones do not exist and good used ones are extremely rare to find.

If you are very precise with machining (cutting) away the original swages, you may possibly be able to leave enough material in the rim to allow for new swages to secure the replacement bearing ----- I suppose it could be worth a try if you really want to salvage the original hardware, but it is going to be a significant amount of effort to do it. Sourcing a replacement bearing should be easy --- it is a generic sealed type, and the size is nothing special.

 

MARTIN ---

You have a PM.

 

Just out of interest, how come your car has the York compressor mountings not Sanden if its a German car?

Its very strange that the original pressure switch has a metric fitting. A/C fittings are pretty much the most standard of all types of fitting worldwide, ie all inch sizes even on European cars. On the 308 does the switch screw into the receiver/drier or somewhere else? You would be fitting a new receiver/drier presumably so you could use one with a switch fitted to it.

 

Andy;
the original compressor was an Aspera and the York is the perfectly fitting replacement.
The hi-Low switch goes into a union on the dryer and I assume it's like the car left the factory. The Ferrari parts book shows exactly the same like it's on my car.
Some independent dealers begin selling switches with 3/8"-UNF threads as a direct replacement. Unfortunately these SEEM to fit, because the thread and pitch is similar to M10x1. Like I say; it seems to fit.
My car is a french car, but I think, that doesn't matter.

BTW; In the meantime I have purchased a dryer from Ferrari UK, from which they say it's the correct one for my car.
But I had to remove a bracket carefully and grind away thick weld seams.
Otherwise the dryer wouldn't fit deep enough into the original clamp but compromise the front cover panel.

Best Regards from Germany
Martin
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Martin,

What failed on your Aspera compressor ? Those units are pretty bomb-proof typically.

 

The compressor wasn't in use since 12 years. And back then, when my system worked for the last time we suspected the compressor seal to be leaking.
Therefore I don't want to go through the hassles of rebuilding the compressor and fitting a new seal.
The new York-style replacement did cost me EUR 300,--.


BTW; what is this nasty isolation stuff on the expansion valve / evaporator connection ?
What can I use to replace this sticky, weird material ?

Best Regards and thank you in advance

Martin

 

The insulation stuff is called tacky tape or cork insulation tape.You can buy it from a refrigeration supply shop.
http://www.kflexusa.com/HomePages/ProductLineHome.aspx?ID=20&prod=36&line=9