Hi there, I’m new here, some friends told me to come here and post this. They told me to tell you what my mechanic said and to have you guys check it out!
I have an 07 Mercury Mariner. Last weekend, on Saturday, the A/C stopped working. The system would run, but stopped pumping out cold air and just spat out outside air instead. Eventually after 30 miles or so (driving back home), it started working again. On Sunday, I started up the engine and it make a bad screeching noise. The noise was coming from the main engine belt.
Anyways, I took it to my mechanic, and he took a look around at the belt, stuck a pole inside to listen to the tip of it, and then told me that the A/C clutch had thrown a bearing. When looking at the belt system, the clutch itself seems to wrongfully rotate in place. He informed me that the clutch would nee dto be replaced as well as the compressor due to the broken bearing likely having rubbed off on the aluminum of the compressor and wearing down the unit. He also said depending on how bad the damage was that other parts of the system may have to be replaced if said worn off aluminum had gotten into them (accumulator etc.). He gave me a quote of $850, but told me that that is a worse case scenario, and that depending on how bad (or not bad) the damage is, that less parts may need to be replaced and that the cost would go down if need be.
So, what’s the scoop guys? Thanks a lot!
- Shawn
It sounds like the clutch bearing spun on the compressor bearing boss. And when that happens, both the clutch and compressor are done. I’ve never seen a clutch bearing failure deposit debris in the AC system.
If he quoted you $850.00 for parts and labor, that’s a good price. But this should also include replacing the accumulator. As this is automatically replaced anytime the compressor is replaced.
Tester
In a good light he could be correct. Trouble could be that bad. Except for the interior stuff. Inside the compressor is not compromised with particles in the cooling circuit. I say so because this system would have lost pressure and then the clutch would not run at all. It is not required to replace the accumulator. This is often a waste of money. The automatic part that tester refers to is a boat payment. I have done this compressor replacement and if you purge the ac system with clean oil you should be good to go.