ac delete bearings

3653 Views 18 Replies 3 Participants Last post by steveo, Mar 2, 2013

steveo

Discussion Starter · Feb 5, 2013

my car has one of the cheap ebay jobbies and it's pretty loud.

i know they're a peice of junk, but im too broke for a 1LE pulley right now

my question is, does anyone know what size of bearings they use, so i can track them down before i take it apart? im just going to throw some new bearings in it, shim it to get better alignment, and hope for the best.

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

cocobolo95

· #2 · Feb 5, 2013

This may turn out to be another hair brained idea, but I've toyed with the idea of taking a regulation lt1 a/c compressor apart. That would leave the front pate with the clutch assembly and it's bearing that would freewheel. You would have a metal mounting plate, that would attach to the lt1 accessory mount,I hope, and a good quality bearing, and finally most of the compressor weight will be gone as most of compressor will be gone.

Just need someone to see if this will actually work.

steveo

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 5, 2013

get out of my head! i was just thinking that

i have one sitting on the floor at work, the clutch is noisy as hell but the pulley is in good shape

want to help me figure out how to do it?

i dont even know how the peice of crap comes apart

steveo

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 6, 2013

actually im just being a dumbass. i can see the bolts to disassemble the compressor housing in there.

i just dont know how the pulley/clutch comes off. there's a center stud with outside threads..

do i pull the outside threads against the stud? what the hell is the stud there for?

im a mechanic not a refridgerator repair man :lol:

pic attached

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steveo

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 6, 2013

ok i got it figured, but it's seized, and i dont have the right tool. i'm going to soak it in solovent for the night and try tomorrow

i know i can make this thing into a wicked delete pulley.

cocobolo95

· #6 · Feb 6, 2013

It takes a special holding tool to keep the pulley from revolving so you can break the nut. Then a small puller to pull the pulley.

Both the 94 or 96 service manual available in the 4th gen section will have instructions on taking it apart.

I believe the hardest part of the deal will be cutting the shaft and making it stay on the outer housing plate, but nothing that creative minds can't overcome.

steveo

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 6, 2013

i have a compressor, and no money. i'll make it happen, and i'll take pictures.

as it stands there is no nut on it.. so that part is done

cocobolo95

· #8 · Feb 6, 2013 (Edited)

As for your question of, what is the stud for? That is the main shaft of the actual compressor. It drives the compressor pistons to make the r134 cool. The bearing on the clutch is there so the clutch can freewheel when the a/c is turned off. The shaft is frozen because, most likely the internal compressor bearings are seized.

When you make your delete pulley, you will need enough of that shaft so the pulley and bearing have an attachment to the shaft. Since the housing is aluminum and the shaft is steel, you would either have to braise the shaft to the aluminum cover, or figure out how to epoxy it and have it strong enough to withstand the heat, pressure, and vibration it will endure.
The only other solution I can think of is to make a new shaft out of aluminum and weld it to the cover plate. Aluminum shaft would be strong enough to support the free turning clutch pulley.

And the shaft wouldn't be that complicated if your good at improvising. And you sound like you are good at it.

By the way, I like your name picture, when I look at it quickly, I see a robot head instead of a throttle body.

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steveo

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 6, 2013

haha i see the robot thing now too

maybe you were thinking of this classic throttlebody headed robot

anyway im off track now.

i did notice afterwards how the whole thing goes together. you know how hard it is to figure stuff out when it's just a ball of rust? well after leaving a nice puddle of varsol in that center hole overnight, i looked in and saw where the shaft is keyed, so it all made sense.

im thinking making a lathe-turned center shaft with an integral bolt-in retainer will be the best option. i've learned to avoid welding things when possible for stuff like this, unless it's a structural component where the stress might oval the holes. you never know what shitty kind of pot metal you're welding to, gm doesn't exactly use the most pure aluminum when it comes to components like this

i wish i had a lathe at work -- but i do have customers with lathes. so i'll make it happen

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steveo

Discussion Starter · #10 · Feb 8, 2013

in the meantime i managed to tune up that ebay delete pulley

it had a ton of play in it, i found that the bearing and pulley were actually just fine, but the shaft the bearing goes over was just too small. crammed a few shims in there until it was tighter. now it only has a tiny bit of play instead of 1/4" like before.

also found the pulley alignment was way off, so it was riding on the edge of the tensioner, making the belt crooked.

i measured it vs. the old ac compressor i have, and stacked some washers behind it until it lined up.

it's nice and quiet now. maybe the ebay pulleys aren't so bad with a tuneup..

steveo

Discussion Starter · #11 · Feb 9, 2013

so guess what -- i got the official GM compressor disassembly toolkit today to play with

pays to know a few people at a dealership. time to fabricate some stuff!

the pulley has an awesome bearing on it that doesn't even seem to require the central compressor shaft just to spin, but that's only on first glance.

will rip it apart more tomorrow, take pics, and start turning it into an idler pulley

cocobolo95

· #12 · Feb 9, 2013

From what I could see from the exploded view, the bearing itself will retain to the flange on the compressor cover. It's the pulley itself which looks like it needs the shaft to retain it. I could be mistaken as I haven't taken it apart like you have, but that's my take using the exploded diagram as a guide.

steveo

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 10, 2013

i got stuck cause the pulley is held on with a circlip, but the bearing is practically welded from rust, and i didn't have a big enough puller on hand.

im getting lazy now because my tuned up ebay pulley is working awesome. seriously, once you shim the shaft out so it doesn't wobble, and the back of it so the pulleys line up, it works just great.

steveo

Discussion Starter · #14 · Mar 2, 2013

i finally got around to finishing it, and it's so stupid easy.

it's like it's designed to be turned into a delete pulley, and man, it is one hell of a perfect delete pulley when it's finished....

1. pull front cover off with a puller. there is a tool for it, but dont be afraid to hammer the living hell out of the center shaft, or just ream/drill it out. you dont need to keep it. discard
2. remove circlip and remove the pulley. might take a puller or bearing splitter (mine did due to rust) but it's not a big deal.
3. break clutch assembly off with a prybar. it's just press fit. discard
4. remove the 6 long bolts holding the compressor assembly to the pulley base. discard bolts
5. smack base with a hammer till it falls off, discard. be careful there's oil in it
6. remove inner seal and wiper from the pulley base (it's circlipped in too)
7. replace the pulley and circlip

you're left with a perfect delete bracket that accepts the original ac pulley bare with NO shimming, custom spacers, or anything.

the center remains hollow.

it's a bit on the heavy side for just an idler, but ALL the weight is in the pulley. there is a ton of metal to be removed if you want to lighten it up.

pulley+mount | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

ready to rock ac delete pulley | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

ac delete pulley | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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donzilla69

· #15 · Mar 2, 2013

Very cool !!! So basically it's just the front cover of the a/c compressor ? AWSOME write up also ! Thanks

steveo

Discussion Starter · #16 · Mar 2, 2013

yep! the center shaft, both sides of the clutch, the compressor housing, its all completely irrelavent for the pulley and mount working properly

donzilla69

· #17 · Mar 2, 2013

I got one of the eBay deletes also looked at it .... Had second thoughts and ordered a better one from tpis . So I have 2 brand new ones lol. But kinda like this way better than both of them lol . Thanks again for the update and post !!

cocobolo95

· #18 · Mar 2, 2013

Way to go, thought the old compressor would make a great a/c delete pulley. Now, if it's not too much trouble, start a new thread with your instructions on how to make. Then I will make a sticky out of it. I would do it, but then you wouldn't get the proper credit for making the part.

steveo

Discussion Starter · #19 · Mar 2, 2013

ok i'll do that

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