So...I was getting ready to head home from work late last night and heard a loud WOOOSH sound when starting my truck. I swear, it sounded a like a rusty, grinding, jet engine in it's death throes. At first I thought it was exhaust related, like my manifold had come loose. Popped the hood and could hear it was coming from the a/c compressor/alternator area I drove to the nearest gas station and checked it out after I filled up. The interesting part was that the noise had nearly disappeared after driving for a few miles, and the a/c ran cold as it ever has. But after waiting a few minutes and starting back up, it reared it's ugly freakin head.

After numerous google queries and forum searches, I narrowed it down to the a/c clutch bearing. I was fairly certain that was the cause, so I FIRST called several places to check that the part was in stock. Ford service depot: close, Autozone (3 stores): out, Oriley's: bingo!

Since I am by no means mechanically inclined and my supply of tools is severely lacking - I pissed in the wind, hoping it would not come back on my leg as I started my endeavor to replace this part. However, 4 beers later and 40 minutes of my time have left me glad I didn't take it to firestone and have them bleed my wallet dry. As a general note: I might not have done anything here correctly, so don't take this as a definitive guide

Estimated Work Time Involved:
- appx. 30-45min

Tools Used:
- BFW (makeshift clutch holding tool - to keep the clutch plate from turning)
- 1" Steel Plates (wood boards would work, make sure you have a hefty hammer)
- Needle Nosed Pliers
- 1/2" drive
- 8mm socket
- Blue Locktite (Red is better for this application?)
- Cleaning supplies (wire brush, q-tips, simple green, paper towels)
- Grease (I used wheel bearing, high-temp grease)
- Flashlight
- Persistence

Tools better suited for the job:
- Clutch holding tool
- Gear puller
- Snap-ring Pliers
- Bearing press


First step is to remove the serpentine belt and make sure the a/c controls are set to "OFF" (something about engaging the clutch via the electromagnet).
Use a 1/2" drive and pull to the left to relieve tension and simply slip the belt off the compressor. There are many other posts on this.



Then use a 8mm socket to remove the center bolt



Next, use a standard screwdriver and some patience to pull the clutch plate away from the pulley. You will have to hold the plate in place by securing your wrench to one of the three raised 'bumps' to keep it from turning.
Note: there is a small washer/spacer on the tip of the splined shaft that may fall away (or it may be in the clutch plate)



Then, remove the small snap-ring (for retaining the pulley) using pliers and a screwdriver. Using bruteforce, a hammer, wrench, or other means -- pull the pulley off towards you.



Clean all parts with degreaser and a wire brush. I also cleaned the inner shaft with q-tips and re-lubed it with some grease.

In my case, my clutch bearing seal had come apart and was shot to pieces with all kinds of grime and debris inside. It took a lot of force to turn it.



Use the steel plates as a bearing press and lay the pulley down. I wailed on it with a well spaced crecent wrench and hammer to remove the bearing. It slides out front to rear.



After the old bearing has been removed, cover the outer rim of the new one with locktite.



Next, I layed the pulley down on the steel plates, placed the old bearing on top of the new, and hammered it until it was properly seated. I had to try a few times to get it lined up nicely so it would go in straight.

The final step was to reassemble in reverse order, taking care not to overtighten the center bolt. Since I didn't have the torque values, I used some from a generic picture I found online and tightened to 11 ft-lbs.

In hindsight, I should have checked the air gap between the clutch and pulley BEFORE taking it apart. But since I was an idiot, I neglected to do that. I found some generic values from another online picture.
Mine happened to be at 0.040", which could be out of spec -- but everything seems to be working fine, so oh well.



Like I said before, I am no mechanic..and I'm sure there are many things I did "incorrectly" (especially the bearing install), but I wanted to make this post because I am always gleaning information from the forums here and have yet to give anything back.

Hope it helps someone, somewhere. Thanks!

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2002 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4cyl

nice work and thanks for the post!

Just wanted to thank sv3nster and FordRangerForum for this post. I had called several AC repair shops locally and they would not just replace the bering. Ordered the bering from AutoZone and $50 and an hour later, I saved $700 to $1000 over a total compressor repair. I owe you a beer sv3nster!

Good job. Great how-to post!

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1997 4x4 Mazda B4000 SE, Ext.Cab

I'm glad it helped, friend! Net forums have always been indispensable to me, for everything from home projects to computer programming challenges. I believe in these situations, it is best to "pass it on". Leave the world a better place than when you found it. Cheers!

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2002 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4cyl

Just found this after hours of digging for a thread that would explain this! Bump for a great write up, and for others that need this gem of a thread for help. This should definitely be in the how to section of frf!!

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2001 4.0 xlt off road, step side. 102,xxx miles. K&N drop in filter. 2006+ tail lights, black headlights and corners, buggman's custom emblems, front and back, plastidipped grille, front valance, and rear bumper plastic. P265/70 R17 Wrangler at/s on painted black MB rims CLICK HERE FOR MUDDING TRIP PICS http://www.gcextreme.com/FordRanger/...eets/Oct_2012/