With many vehicles that have air conditioning systems installed, there is a point in the vehicle's life when the owner finds that the air conditioner is either acting erratically or not working at all. Either the unit itself won't disengage even when the vehicle is turned off, or the compressor unit for the air conditioner won't function at all. In either of these situations, replacing the clutch for the air conditioning system may be necessary. As with many automotive projects, there are different tools that may be required in order to complete the task, as different elements in most automotive structures often require specialty equipment in order to maintain or replace them.
Standard Tools
Alongside the specialty tools that may be required to complete the removal and the replacement of the AC clutch, there are also standard or popular tools that are required as a means of removing any engine parts or protective covers from the area that is being worked on. Typical socket and ratchet driver sets, Allen wrenches and possibly torque screwdrivers may be required to remove certain engine elements as a means of clearing an area. Proper lighting in the work area is also necessary, because the confines of a vehicle's engine can restrict the access of indirect light, making it difficult to see.
Clutch Remover
Because the clutch in an air conditioning system's compressor unit is considered to be a "pressure fit," there is a great amount of pressure required the pull the clutch unit from the front of the compressor unit after its been made accessible. In order to create the amount of pressure that's required to pull the clutch from the compressor, the clutch removal tool has to be placed so that turning one of the two nuts that the removal tool has will pull the clutch out of the fitting into which it's been pressed. In most cases, the nut that is to remain stationary must be held steady by a different wrench or tool as the forcing bolt is turned through the nut, creating the force to free the clutch.
Clutch Installer
The clutch installer tool is a separately sold unit that is used to apply the new compressor clutch to the pulley assembly after the defective clutch has been removed. It basically works in almost the exact opposite manner, With two different and oppositely moving parts that are used to create the necessary pressure to fit the new clutch into the compressor pulley assembly.
Tags: that required, compressor unit, pull clutch, tools that, tools that required, amount pressure