Ac compressor clutch for your car

Cold air when it's due: coupling for the air conditioning compressor The air conditioning compressor's magnetic coupling ensures the switching of the air conditioning according to demand. This enhances the driving comfort and keeps fuel consumption low. The coupling of the compressor can be simply tested, though its replacement might prove a challenge. Function of the air conditioning compressor Everybody is familiar with the phenomenon: coming out of a swimming pool, you feel cold first, no matter how high temperatures are. The "cooling by evaporation" is responsible for this phenomenon. Water evaporation extracts a lot of heat from its environment. This produces the cooling effect also used by air conditioners. The climate control in a car uses a special coolant instead of water. Its evaporation is effected by a sudden pressure drop in this medium. The liquid coolant is conducted into a nozzle, behind which pressure is considerably lower. In order to transform the now gassy coolant into a liquid state again, it flows through the compressor after its cooling performance. The compressor is driven by a belt, generally a V-ribbed belt or a flat belt. What purpose serves the air conditioning compressor's coupling? Compression of the coolant is mechanically rather energy consuming and generates a high resistance in the air conditioning compressor. This makes the process very laborious which means high fuel consumption. The coupling ensures the activation of the compressor only when there is a need for cooling. The coupling between the powertrain and the compressor is realised by a magnetic coupling. Function of the magnetic coupling The magnetic coupling connects the freewheeling of the pulley with the drive shaft of the compressor. When the coupling is activated by electricity supply, pulley and shaft make a close connection. The belt transmits the engine's torque onto the compressor, activating the cooling process. The magnetic coupling is kept shut by electricity. As soon as the power is disconnected, an integrated spring returns the coupling to its original position. The belt pulley is still freewheeling, but no longer connected to the shaft of the compressor. The resistance is considerably lower, causing a lower fuel consumption. Defects of the compressor's coupling The magnetic coupling of the air conditioning compressor is an electro-mechanic component and can fail due to several causes, such as: corrosion of the plug contacts, wear of the returning mechanism, or burning of the electro-magnetic coils. This is immediately noticed: the air conditioning system no longer functions. The magnet switch function can only be checked with a running engine: in order to activate the air conditioning, the compressor shaft should rotate. This can be checked at the pulley's support plate. If it does not rotate when the compressor is switched on, the magnetic coupling is malfunctioning or defective. Repair of the magnetic coupling Replacing a magnetic clutch is easier when the air conditioning compressor is disassembled. However, the cooling system needs to be opened and refilled afterwards. Therefore it is simpler to replace the entire drive unit of the compressor. We recommend, apart from the compressor, replacing the drive belt, the bearing and the pulley as well. If the belt simultaneously functions as a timing belt, great care and extensive understanding of the repair procedure is required. Making a mistake here leads to serious damage to the engine! A multifunctional belt can be recognised by its typical set of teeth on the reverse side. Buy a cheaper magnetic coupling for the compressor at autopartspro.co.uk We from autopartspro.co.uk are your cheapest and most reliable suppliers of quality spare parts. As with all spare parts we rely exclusively on branded quality. Competent price calculation enables us to make the best offers. Therefore, complete magnetic coupling sets, bearings included are available at min. 51 euro (£43). With these, the usual comfort in your car on hot days is quickly restored.