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So the verdict appears to be:
A $22.50 bearing fixed my A/C pulley wobble & compressor rattle. Yay!!
I've only driven the car 20 mi (this morning) since doing the work, & the A/C never kicked in, so I may hear something on the drive home this afternoon.
It took me significantly longer than the "2 hrs" I've read in other posts; maybe 4 or 5 hrs total, from breaking the lug nuts free (start) to wiping down all of the tools (finish). I could've done the entire job in maybe an hour if I'd ordered the $95 "clutch kit" of new pulley w/bearing, clutch plate & coil, & then all four of these components would've been brand new. My parts looked 'good enough' to re-use, but the time saving of NOT R&R the bearing would've been worth the extra cost.
The most critical parts of the new bearing installation were:
1) COMPLETELY grinding out the old staking, so that the new bearing didn't drag on any high points
2) Finding a good way to press in the new bearing
3) Re-staking the new bearing in place
It was relatively easy to grind out the old staking (squashed metal mechanically holding the bearing inside the pulley). A Dremel with a small diameter grinding stone worked well. (The small sanding drum wore out too fast.) Just be careful to leave yourself enough 'shelf' to re-squash after the new bearing's in place. Once the bearing was out, I went back & lightly ground the staked areas to ensure they were not high points. Then I buffed everything clean & smooth with a green Scotchbright pad & a little oil.
For a bearing press, I have a bicycle headset press that I made from scrap Acme threaded rod & threaded locking collars. The collars just fit the outer race of the A/C pulley bearing, so I lucked out there! If I didn't have this tool, I would've had to search for a suitable press from one of the auto parts stores. Or cut a disk of wood to fit the bearing socket, & then press it into place using a jack under the car. :-)
Re-staking was made easier (for me) by having a punch with a slight cutting edge to it. I used this punch to cut into the metal 'shelf', then I used a flat-ended punch to squash the metal down over the bearing edge. Just be careful NOT to slip or you'll wind up punching the bearing seal!!
As others have mentioned, all of the plastic coverings took more time to R&R than the actual R&R of the pulley!
If it fails again while I still own the car, there won't be enough pulley 'shelf' material to do another staking. But by that time, all of the other components will need replacing anyway.
Verdict: If you've got the time, the $22.50 bearing is an awesome fix! (And a very satisfying repair, if you get any enjoyment out of saying "I did it myself!") Otherwise, save yourself the time & get all new parts in there with the $95 "clutch kit."
posted by 63.234.158...
, Tue, 3 Sep 2013 08:50:30
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