'02 Taurus A/C compressor

Hey everyone,

New to the Taurus forum, but pretty familiar with Windstar. I'm helping out my brother on an '02 Taurus w/ 3.0l (Without DOHC). I'll explain original symptoms.

Was told that he heard a pop and that the check engine light came on. Pulled over and the belt had busted. He drove it home. I came over and thought "easy fix, just replace the belt". We replaced the belt, but the a/c is not coming on. (compressor doesn't engage) We also have a check engine light. (which pulls code 1633).

I've been able to track down the 1633 code/AC compressor problem to a blown fuse under the hood. The one fuse controls both the a/c clutch and the Keep Alive memory for the PCM. We replaced the fuse and it immediately blew upon starting the vehicle. (even with the a/c turned off)

I unplugged the a/c clutch connector and restarted the engine. This time, the fuse did not blow. I'm inclined to believe that the clutch is shorted. Here's my inquiry. The car has 122K miles. It previously had no a/c problems. Should I just replace the clutch or does anyone think that the compressor died?

The clutch can be purchased for about $50. The entire compressor can be had for $150. I've replaced compressors before (and I'm familiar with the repercussions of replacing it...drier/accumulator/vacuum/refill/etc.) I've never replaced the clutch. Does anyone have a quick howto on replacing the clutch on this vehicle?

Thanks,

Mark

Well,

In the interest of sharing knowledge, I'll relay my project.

I decided to purchase a new compressor rather than a new clutch. (although after getting it out, the clutch was the problem...the bushings that attach it to the crank were completely gone.)

In order to remove the clutch, I...

Jacked the front of the vehicle up pretty high (around 18")
Placed stands under the rails just under the front seats.
Removed the front tires.
Removed serpentine belt.
Disconnected outer tie rod ends.
Disconnected shocks from the hub.
Placed jacks under the front of the subframe.
Removed two front subframe mounts.
Slowly lowered subframe.
Remove freon from system.
Remove bolt holding the lines to the compressor.
Remove four bolts that hold the compressor to the engine.
With creative twisting/turning, pull compressor out the bottom of the car.
And as they say..."Installation is the reverse of removal"

I did learn a few good lessons.
First, use your pneumatic tools. Using a pneumatic wratchet and impact sped this job up tremendously.
Second, the $5 purchase of those A/C quick disconnect removal tools was well worth it. Those connectors came apart lickity split.

P.S. In addition to the compressor, the orifice tube was replaced and the accumulator was replaced. Both were very easy.

I had trouble finding a decent walkthrough for this procedure. Hopefully this helps.

Mark

Nice information, thanks for sharing!

-Rod