1970s V8 - new AC compressor and clutch?

I need to replace the AC compressor, clutch and pulley on my 77 Khamsin.

Has anyone done this, sourced the parts, willing to share information?

I've contacted the vendor for this kit, but not heard back yet. Nothing relevant comes up from an online search for "Atlantique Maserati" Park City, Utah. Anyone had experience with them?

https://collectorpartexchange.com/product/1623380511319x820470894371012600

Cheers,
- Art

 

I had recently to source a new York compressor for my Indy (the current one was shot, apparently a rare ovalisation of the cylinders).
I looked for used ones on internet, not many of them to say the least.
In Europe, you may find some used units e.g. here: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-autoteile-reifen/york-kompressor/k0c223

Then I found out that there seems to be refabrications of that York unit. Here is one that I found on ebay:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/144303117568?hash=item219922d500:g:nVkAAOSw1QdhnO2K
And here a vendor in France (there seems to be many vendors of such new units): https://radiatech.fr/produit/compresseur-york-er210r-type-209-210-sortie-rotalock/
But upon attempting to order one to that last vendor, it turned out that availability was not guaranteed! So not clear if such units are fabricated in China or elsewhere...

In the end my mechanic succeeded in sourcing a used unit that was refurbished and that is currently being installed on my car. Waiting for the result...

 

Merci Serge,
I'll report any success I have..
- Art

 

The Maserati Club of California was marketing a modern compressor a couple of years ago. They have a website, might be worth getting in contact with them.

 

These updated AC compressor units were offered to me in Europe. Here is a quote the company mailed to me approx 3 years ago:
"The units are assembled in California, USA, they are high quality products, they come with Valeo pump, the price is around $ 800.00 for Merak, Ghibli and Indy."

 

Which units do you refer to?
Are these York look-alike units or Valeo units, could you provide a link?

 

https://www.maseratisd.com/collections/event-registration/products/13750-valero-ac-compressor-for-merak

note: they had marketed this about 2 years ago as being suitable for a wider variety of V8 cars, though they only mention the Merak in the link. Worth getting in touch to see what the deal is.

 

Thank you James, that was the unit/source which was offered to me.

 

Update on the Khamsin: I didn't have the courage or desire to experiment. MIE sold me an identical clutch/pulley and compressor for $945. I installed it in an hour.
Here are the old and new compressors (before installing the clutch).. It bolted right in.
Cheers,
- Art
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Good to hear Art!!

Mike

 

Would like to get your feedback after you have it all running. I had the compressor on my Ghibli rebuilt but I am not happy with the results. Too much vibrations and not enough cooling.

Ivan

 

Interested to know also.
Do you know if your compressor is a new refabrication or a rebuilt one?

I had just a rebuilt one installed by my mechanic on my Indy.
In the (cold) workshop, it produced cool air:

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To Ivan: On the road however, I did not have the feeling it was that cold.
There are no vibrations however, to the point that I could not even notice when it was starting...
I will have to check if it continues working well.

 

It is possible that the vibration is from the AC clutch. I had the compressor rebuilt but not the clutch. I have a couple of extra clutches and will first try another clutch to see if that improves things.

Ivan

 

Ivan,
I'll have the engine ready to fire up this afternoon or tomorrow.. but I have a long way to go before my AC and HV will be operational.. My Kh was stripped of the vacuum hoses and components to operate the HVAC box.. I'm working on sourcing the parts I need from salvage Khamsins, which hasn't been easy.

Serge,
I don't know for certain whether my compressor is rebuilt or new.. It "appears" new, it is Made in China, and the threads are all very fresh. Here is a photo of the tag if you want to research the company.

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Cheers,
- Art

 

Thank you Art.
Looks certainly as a remanufactured compressor based on the original York design, I have seen a number of them sold online.
Should work well, as sold by MIE (and fitted well also with clutch and pulley), you'll tell us if your car becomes a fridge!

 

.. another thought to share, Ivan:
Check the bearings in your spare clutches before you try them on the compressor.. it might save you some headache.

Rotate the pulley on the clutch assembly and feel for any rough spots in the bearing during the rotation. My old, failed AC clutch assembly is most likely generating the howling noise from a bearing failure: I can feel roughness throughout while rotating the pulley on the clutch bearing, even though I can't detect any 'wobble' or play in the clutch bearing/pulley.

This is in stark contrast to the new clutch assembly which rotates as smooth as silk.

Cheers,
- Art

 

I know a few 456/550/575M guys send their AC compressor to "Polar Bear" in Florida to be reconditioned and rebuild. You might call them and check if they can fix your old one. 949 dollar sound a bit expencive dor an AC compressor when the reason it is expencive is that the bracet is custom CNC machined. You probably have your bracket already?

 

Those cars use that ancient York compressor? That doesn't sound right. Frankly I'd be very tempted to try the Southern California TMC offering. Not it won't look original but it should perform much better and smoother than that very old York compressor.

It's been over 20 years since I tackled this on my Bora. Frankly I never had any long term luck with that AC system. The compressor had the AN style connectors and with the way that engine and transaxel hopped around those fittings were always coming loose. Perhaps a rotolock style would be much better? Newer more flexible AC hoses might help as well. That's a lot of stress on those hoses/fittings.
I had similar problems with the LHM pump hose and went through two NOS hoses before switching to better engineered SS braided hose with a differently oriented fitting and a flexibility loop included.

 

The new AC compressor from MIE was not a direct bolt-in...

The new assembly is 1/8" deeper (towards the engine block) than the original which - at least in the case of Khamsin 1196 - caused the water pump drive studs* on the AC pulley to strike the waterpump housing upon startup. My solution was to elongate the six bolt-holes in the AC mounting bracket. The elongations allowed me to shift the whole assembly forward (away from the engine block) by the necessary distance.

*Table 37, Parts 39 & 41

Old AC assembly on left, new on right:
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Thank you for the interesting feedback.
So, a nice copy of the original York compressor but not completely exact...
As you corrected it, are the grooves and belts exactly in the same plane as OEM?

 

The size of the compressor is an exact match, but the clutch assembly is of a "thicker" dimension. So the problem lies with the clutch assembly. The new pulley itself is an exact match, if that also helps.
As I corrected it, there is perhaps 1/16" mismatch between the main crank pulley and the AC pulley. I will live with that for now.. hmm.. perhaps I should correct it fully.
- Art

 

This stuff is always fun and full of surprises isn't it.

These style of belts are very prone to alignment mismatches causing a rattling, snapping sound. There have been people who did a quick sale of their Maserati thinking something awful was wrong with the engine. The belt climbs up once side of the pulley and then snaps back because the belts are so stiff.

 

Art

Since your compressor/clutch setup seems to have slightly different dimensions to the original, pay much attention to the alignment of the cable to the water pump. It is imperative that the clutch center be aligned with the water pump center. Also the cable should be horizontally aligned with the arm of the water pump. On my Ghibli there is a spacer between the cable and the clutch, this takes care of the horizontal alignment. The horizontal alignment should not be difficult since you can visually make sure the cable is straight. Not sure how to verify that the two centers are aligned (concentric). Failure to do this will mean that the cable will wiggle on every rotation. We all know what happens to a paper clip if it is bent too many times .....

Ivan

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I look at that photo and see a couple of painful things needing attention. Does anyone know who is responsible for this design?

 

Thanks Ivan. Thanks Bob..

I have gone ahead and revisited the AC bracket and its bolt holes. I elongated the bolt holes forwards such that I have dead-nuts proper alignment vertically between the crank pulley and AC pulley.

Regarding centerlines - Looking at the OEM way this all mounts, there isn't an intentional opportunity for the AC compressor and waterpump centerlines to be adjusted. The bolt holes are all sized tight to the bolt diameter, there's no "play". You bolt the AC compressor up where the bracket's bolt-holes are, and likewise the waterpump, End of story. In my situation, I've elongated the holes front-to-back. This still wouldn't intentionally allow the relationship of the two centerlines to change, but I may have introduced some additional play.

Ivan - I will see what or how I can observe any mis-match between the two centerlines for long term durability..
I think it's reasonable to assume Maserati/Alfieri et al, chose the cable as a method (which obviously has some flex instead of a rigid shaft), to connect the two "ball-swivel studs" at the AC pulley and the waterpump "pulley"... some flex was anticipated.

Bob - You gotta love the way the clutch pulley wears on the AC clutch wire.. There is a small wire-clamp included in MIE's kit that I use to hold the clutch wire out of harm's way..

Cheers,
- Art