Compressor 98 2.7 Intrepid

My 98 Intrepid (2.7) has given up the ghost on the A?C. The compr3essor gave
out a smell and a whine and packed in.
I removed the clutch relay just to be on the safe side but the noise and
rattling etc got worse.
I have now removed the drive belt for A/c. Anyone see any problem running
like that. Compressor is worth more than the car (300,000km) but body and
engine run sweetly (2.7 and all)

Keith

 

Keith,

You can run without the A/C compressor belt. My son's '96 Eagle Vision (I
believe it uses the same compressor) also self-destructed at about 75K miles
and 9 years of age. We bought a remanufactured unit from
http://www.autopartsgiant.com for about $250. I replaced the unit and when
I attempted to draw a vacuum, I discovered that the high pressure line had a
pin hole leak. I found the line for $15 at a U-Pull-It salvage yard and
swapped it out. I also purchased new o-rings for all the lines and replaced
those at the same time. I drew another vacuum and this time it held .... we
recharged the system and it has worked great now for two years. Total cost
was about $300. Good luck.

Bob

 

It sounds like the clutch assembly went out on you. You may not need the
complete compressor. You can remove the belt but on snowy, rainy days you
may have a hard time getting the moisture out of the vehicle causing
visibility problems.


Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

Glenn is correct. You can replace just the clutch if that is the
problem - unless you let it go so long that the clutch wobbled into the
compressor case and chewed that up.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Thanks very much, I will remove the compressor and inspect. I am sure it is
the clutch and I shut it off pretty darn quick but , we shall see.

 

remember to replace your reciever dryer if your car has had outside
air in for more than a day or two

 

This is an excellent recommendation. (I forgot to mention that when I
posted earlier.)

Bob

remember to replace your reciever dryer if your car has had outside
air in for more than a day or two

 

NO!! Don't compound your problems by removing the compressor! The whole
POINT is that if its just the clutch, you don't have to crack open the
AC system to fix it! The clutch can be serviced with the compressor on
the car, or at least with the refrigerant lines still connected.