A/C Compressor Clutch: Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Dodge Viper. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The A/C compressor clutch components provide the means to engage and disengage the A/C compressor from the engine accessory drive belt. When the electromagnetic A/C clutch field coil is energized, it magnetically draws the clutch plate into contact with the clutch pulley and drives the compressor shaft. When the coil is not energized, the pulley freewheels on the clutch hub bearing, which is part of the pulley.

The A/C compressor clutch engagement is controlled by several components: the A/C-heater control in the passenger compartment, the A/C pressure transducer on the discharge line, the compressor clutch relay, the A/C low pressure switch on the accumulator, the powertrain control module (PCM) in the engine compartment, and the A/C compressor clutch relay in the power distribution center (PDC). The PCM may delay compressor clutch engagement for up to thirty seconds.

The A/C compressor clutch components cannot be repaired and, if faulty or damaged, they must be replaced.