R26 Replacing air con compressor help

Hi guys, my climate control isn't working on my R26 so I've been doing some fault finding. The system is full of gas and the pressure switch is working correctly. There's no fault codes showing. I'm getting a switched 12v feed to the compressor when turning the air con on and off but the compressor clutch isn't kicking in so presume my compressor is shot.

So a few questions

Is the clutch on the compressor replaceable or is it just a case of replacing the complete unit?

If I need to replace the compressor it worth picking up a used one and hope it lasts, or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new one?

If I need to buy a new unit does anyone have any recommendations for a suitable one?

Is any of the above works something thats easy enough to do myself, or is it definitely a garage job? (I'm fairly handy and usually do all my own works on my cars but the few times I have have worked on the Meg it's always been a bitch to work on!)

Thanks in advance

 

So I've been doing some digging and it would appear that the compressor clutch assembly can be replaced instead of replacing the complete unit. I'm hoping that I can replace the clutch with the compressor in place, or at least without having to disconnect the high and low pressure lines. I'll also check through the cars paperwork to find out when the aux belt and tensioner were last replaced and will replace them too if required.

Here's a link to the replacement clutch assembly:

https://www.autopartspro.co.uk/delphi-1750782

 

Thanks for the heads up. I should have the new clutch assembly next week so will see how I get on. If I need to disconnect the high and low pressure lines then it's not the end if the world, just means I'll need to get it degassed/regassed

 

Sooo, after purchasing a replacement clutch assembly last year I finally made a start and replacing it on my air con pump today (only 10 months after my original post!!)

The plan is to try and do it in situ as the system is full of refrigerant. So far it's actually going a lot better than I expected!

Got the car up on stands and removed the drivers side wheel, arch liner and cover plate to expose the aux belt tensioner and air con compressor.

Got the aux belt off and checked it over and found the very early signs of a crack so have ordered a replacement belt up.

Access to the compressor from the wheel arch is quite limited, but with a bit for perseverance I've managed to get the front clutch plate and pulley free from the compressor. Unfortunately with the compressor still bolted in place the pulley won't clear the end of the shaft.

Tomorrow evening I'll remove the undertrays and loosen the compressor mounting bolts so I can gain a bit extra room to slip the pulley past the compressor shaft. Once that's out of the way I can remove the coil and then fit the replacement assembly. Once that's done and the new belt is on its testing time. Fingers crossed for some cool air out of the vents!

 

New clutch assembly:


Old v new clutch plate:


That hasn't worked for a while!

Pulley removed from the shaft (with the help of a lot of release spray!):


All done so far from access via the drivers wheel arch:

 

Cracked on with this again tonight.

Managed to fully remove the faulty clutch assembly. Old v new:



New coil and pulley refitted to the compressor:


Clutch plate and new aux belt fitted:


And the moment of truth, tested the air con and measured the air temperature coming through the vents:


Ambient temperature of 11c, temperature of air out the vents 2c

So, there you have it. The clutch assembly on the air con compressor can be replaced in situ without disconnecting the air con pipes to prevent the need of getting the system degassed and refilled

 

Thanks. I used my brothers OBD reader that allowed me to check for any fault codes and check the system pressure. The pressure switch on these isn't the normal 'its got pressure or not' type if switch, it will actually tell you the current system pressure in psi/bar. If the system is low on gas and it's triggered a fault the the compressor won't engage until the code is cleared and the system repressurised.

Without an OBD reader the easiest way of checking if it's the compressor clutch or not is to unplug the wiring connector from the compressor coil and test for 12v. If the coil is receiving 12v then the ECU is seeing normal pressure and not showing any faults with the air con system. This us how originally diagnosed my issues before I realised my brother had a reader that would show me what's going on. A cheap Bluetooth OBD dongle and an app like Torque isn't good enough for this.

Thanks