What causes AC compressor clutch failure?
LOW REFRIGERANT AND LOW OIL CONDITION COULD LEAD TO AC COMPRESSOR DAMAGE
With a large refrigerant undercharge, oil is pumped out from the compressor and becomes trapped in the evaporator or other ac components of the system and is unable to properly return to the hvac compressor. The amount of oil in the compressor can get down to dangerously low levels creating excessive heat and, in most cases, leading to failure of the unit. Some Air conditioning tests has shown that with an undercharged ac system, the oil amount in the compressor was reduced by over 57%.
SYMPTOMS OF A BAD OR FAILING AC COMPRESSOR
- Poor ac performance
- Growling noise
- Whistling noise
- Grinding noise
- Squealing noise
- Rattling noise
- Banging noise
- Knocking noise
What causes AC compressor clutch failure?
All electro-magnetic clutches operate on the same principle of using an electrical current passing through a coil of wire to create a magnetic field capable of creating an action. These are some of the reasons why an ac compressor clutch may get damaged:
- A/C compressor over cycling.
- Excessive high compressor temperature due to air conditioning system contamination.
- Cooling system underperformance affecting a/c operation.
- Drive belt slipping on a/c compressor pulley creating excessive high heat load.
- Slipping clutch pressure plate due to out of specs compressor clutch gap.
- Shorts to power or ground on the ac compressor clutch coil circuit.
- A/C compressor clutch relay inoperative or shorted.
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Tags: ac compressor failure, causes of compressor failure, electronic controlled ac compressor, loss of lubrication
Tags: AC compressor excessive air gap, AC compressor inoperative, Auto ac compressor pressure plate damage