97 regal noisy compressor

My 97 regal has a noise from the compressor clutch. It goes away when the a/c is turned on. Mechanic said its the clutch assembly. Is this easy to change?

What causes the noise to go away when the a/c is turned on? Just curious...


Thanks for the feedback!

Probably a worn clutch pulley bearing that gets locked in and supported by the compressor when the clutch is engaged with the a/c on. It takes some special tools that you probably dont have.

Don't have to guess on this one-- see it a lot- here is my cut and paste on it:

This sounds like classic v-5 clutch drag- the air gap has tightened and needs to be adjusted back to .020" . I have answered this several times- and usually see about 1 a week during the hot season. The noise is a scrapping/rattle only with a/c off- should see signs of metal shavings about the clutch hub. The fix is to borrow the installer/removal tool from autozone and back off the air gap a tad. This can be done on car, without removing compressor or refrigerant, and can even be done without removing the shaft nut since the nut does not bottom on the clutch drive. Pull back the plastic cover in wheel well to access

Too bad it wont last.

I've done about 300 like this- never had a comeback- not sure what you are referring to that won't last....

Thanks guys great knowledge from the pros....I will get my mechanic to get a replacement....your details into the problem is helpful!!

No replacement necessary- the armature plate is dragging on the pulley face due to corrosion behind the stops holding the armature plate too close to the pulley face- the iron filings collect on the clutch hub due to magnetic pull and the results of continued dragging and wear- the fix is to pull driver out to .020" gap- It stops scrapping when the a/c is on because both armature plate and pulley are turning together- no scraping when they are magnetically bonded when a/c is turned on.