Honda Car Forum

I have an R-12 system, and the pulley is squeeking, and I don't want to pay for the conversion if I don't have to since the A/C is still cold

yes, the clutch can be replaced without losing any freon as long as there is access without pulling the compressor off

of course just remember to put alot of salt on your hands and wet the clutch and any exposed wires to keep it from burning out

The answer to your question is "sometimes" The clutch/pully/bearing assembly sometimes acts as the "wipe" surface for the front seal of the compressor. When it does you will loose all the freon.DO NOT try to remove the clutch/pully/bearing assembly until you know if the clutch/pully/bearing assembly is the "wipe" or not.Are you certain that it is the bearing on the clutch or is it the belt. Most "squeeking" is a dry spot on the belt. Try some belt dressing before you take off the clutch/pully/bearing assembly. If the "squeeking" goes away then change the belt and clean the pully.

yes it can be replaced without loss of freon, it is not a complicated repair if you are mechanically inclined,and have the right tools.

what kind of car?

no ,,you will loose all the freon in it when you take the clutch off,,because there is a seal behind it that holds back the pressure,,if its working good right now i wouldn't worry about it,,until it goes out,,get all the use out of it that you can,,i own a repair shop,,and would tell one of my customers the same thing,,i hope this help,s

The clutch doesn't have a direct connection with the freon. It actually is just attached to the front of the compressor and you will probably have to have a wheel puller to remove it. If it is still cold and is just squeaking you might want to put fan belt dressing on the belt and see what happens. If the clutch is going bad it will rattle but usually not squeek. Reason being the clutch on an air compressor locks in and out against the pully on the compressor and what usually goes bad is the pads that are glued on turn loose and rattle until they just fall apart. If you hear a squeaking listen closer and make sure it's not from inside the compressor. If you do end up having to change over don't let a garage crook you. The new freon will go in right on top of the R-12 now. When they first came out with the new coolant the oil they used is what made it gel up in the lines. The new oil can co-exist with the old and work fine. At Advance Auto Parts and I'm sure other stores as well you can get a kit with pre-mixed freon/oil, leak detector, retro-fittings for conversion, hose, and guages for around $30. It will have enough coolant to do a normal size system that has been vacuumed empty. It is great if you have access to a vacuum but all it really does is what it says. It vacuums the system so the vacuum inside will help draw the new freon into the void. If you empty your system out it will still accept your coolant with no problem, just a little slower, without vacuuming the system. The system will still work just fine and last just as long. The key is to make sure the oil/coolant ratio is correct. Too much oil it will not cool good and bog the system down from so much oil slapping around in the compressor. Not enough and the system will overheat and friction will eventually kill the compressor and metal shavings will eventually clog up the filters in the system. When a compressor goes down, replace all filters inline or you are defeating the purpose. Lastly, if you haven't lost any freon from your system from a bad leak but just need a small charge it is fine to add a little 134 on top of it. You just don't want to drain off a lot of 12 and then add 134 as the old oil will stay in the system and the ratio between oil and coolant will not be what it should. Hope this helps