a/c pulley/clutch removal??

[Slewfoot]

2006 Rubicon (4.0 L of course)

My a/c compressor pulley is shot. (edit:  the bearing itself is shot - but it is part of a pulley/hub assembly)

To remove it, the service manual says it can be serviced in the vehicle (without venting the refrigerant):

1) remove the bolt on front of the clutch plate,
2) use a plastic hammer to tap the clutch plate to loosen the it from the shaft splines,
3) then the clutch plate should come out,
4) then a slip ring to remove the pulley itself.

I've removed the fan and shroud...but it's still not a lot of room.  Several taps and nothing.  Will I need to remove either the radiator or compressor (both will mean venting the refrigerant) for a better swing or does someone have some advice on loosening/removing the clutch plate where it is?

[Immortal]

(venting the refrigerant)

Don't you frickin' dare!!

You might be able to unbolt the compressor and pull it out with the hoses still attached. At least you can in an XJ.....

[Slewfoot]

I have no intention of venting the refrigerant...that is precisely what I hope to avoid

[TL-Iguana]

Don't you frickin' dare!!

You might be able to unbolt the compressor and pull it out with the hoses still attached. At least you can in an XJ.....

Listen to Trevor. He knows what hes doing! He is a plumber afterall..

I thought you had to use a puller to get the pulley off, and then to put it back on you need a set of feeler gauges to make sure that the clutch will engage correctly... I could be wrong however, its been a while since I worked on my ac compressor... I am pretty sure it was all in the manual I found on the sanden compressor website.

[hps4evr]

oh trevor, its just r134a, does nothing really.
unbolt the front pulley, remove clutch, lightly tap with rubber mallet the pulley, now while removing all these parts keep an eye on any little washers that fall out from where the clutch and pulley mount on the shaft. those are your spacers. if you lose those then you'll need new ones... which come in the kit for the new clutch.
ive really only done one and this is what i recall. you should have plenty of room to do this under your tj.

[Slewfoot]

oh trevor, its just r134a, does nothing really.
unbolt the front pulley, remove clutch, lightly tap with rubber mallet the pulley, now while removing all these parts keep an eye on any little washers that fall out from where the clutch and pulley mount on the shaft. those are your spacers. if you lose those then you'll need new ones... which come in the kit for the new clutch.
ive really only done one and this is what i recall. you should have plenty of room to do this under your tj.

Thanks Eric...but...the problem is, I can't get the clutch plate itself off   The bolt is out, but the clutch plate is still holding pretty solid.

Thanks Simon - I am poised and ready with the feeler gauge   but I gotta get it apart first

I can't unbolt the compressor to reposition it without unhooking the refrigerant lines - they're metal for the first couple feet from the compressor.

[Slewfoot]

Update - the clutch plate was simply not coming off without a puller.

It turns out that the center of the clutch plate is threaded (inspection mirror and pick came in handy here to determine that).  I just had to find the right (metric) bolt and turn it in slowly - tried first with a 'soft' bolt and the bolt's threads buggered up a bit, so I want to a 10.9 hardened bolt.  It pushed in on the compressor shaft and pulled the clutch plate out - worked like a charm.  The splines looked a little corroded/dirty, so that would explain why it didn't slide right out to begin with.  Used a standard gear puller to remove the pulley itself.