Vehicle is a 1995 Dodge Caravan Se 3.3 V-6 4-Speed Automatic

1. A/C Compressor Clutch is making a grinding noise. Sounds like the bearing has went bad. I have noticed sitting there watching the clutch why the motor is running. Clutch does not kick on engage or disengage ?. I disconnected the plug to see if anything happen and nothing did. It seems like the clutch is completely dead?. The vehicle does have heat. But just so i know i am clear on this topic. If the clutch is not working. Then i wont have cold air ?. As to which i don't have at this time. Is this correct to say ?. Just trying to understand how the procedure works on these vans. And all the options i have to fixing the problem. People are telling me just replace the compressor and be done with it. Well like most i don't have $250 just sitting around for a compressor. And if i buy the clutch it is like $160. If the clutch is only removed. Does the system half to be drained ?. I have had people tell me yes and no to this question. Any comments and questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Sorry for the repost. But i am confused and not clear with the replies i have got back from others on this site.

 

This is challenging to answer because it seems your knowledge of this system is very limited. I will start by saying someone with no knowledge of AC systems should not work on them. No offense to you.
The grinding noise you hear is most likely the pulley bearing. NOT the clutch. I believe it is possible to replace the bearing without draining the system but you need many special tools and lots of knowledge. That being said...your system is probably already empty! That is most likely why the clutch doesn't engage. When the AC system gets low on freon, the clutch will no longer engage in order to protect the compressor. The noisy pulley is whole different problem. When you pulled the wire off the compressor clutch and nothing happened, you proved that the noise is the pulley/bearing. The bearing may seize up and break your acc. belt or worse. Have it fixed. You can still drive without the AC system. You can not drive without your pulley and belt. Go to a junk yard and find a quiet pulley and put it on.

Good luck

 

I meant to say..go to a junk yard and find a compressor with a quiet pulley and put the new compressor on your van. Check the AC system pressures before you release the freon into the atmosphere please!

 

I am a motor and body man. So yes i have limited knowledge of how the a/c compressor and clutch both work. Thanks for taking the time to explain to me in better detail how it works.

I will have the system checked to see if it needs to be drained and call around and see if i can find a used clutch and compressor. Again thanks for the advice.

 

im a ac mechanic but not cars. i know if you removal of the clutch mostlike not affect the compressor from loosing charge. that said. the noise you heard is mostlikely from a bearing on the belt system. either ac or other accessory. to test this is removal of belt and turn each pulley to see if they spin freely. check play side to side. that tell if bearing is gone. now for why the compressor dont come on. he is right low on refrigerant is one way that it wount come on. if the clutch ever seizes you going not to have other accessory be destroyed like said. the compressors shaft has a built in feature that if it does seize that part break releasing the clutch to the compressor. (this all depends on if this also works as intended). in releasing refrigerant. well i caint advice you on that cause its ilegal to do. just be carefull touching refrigerant cause you get some serious free burns. i would get the system looked at by a professional ac guy to be honest. they have the tools to do it right and have the system not fail in future.
mostlikely the seizing of the clutch is related to the low refrigerant level. oil in the system has to lubricate the front bearing of the compressor. Thats why newer cars run the ac in the winter to defog and to keep the compressor good. this is a famous place for leaks too cause the oil causes the front bearing seal to be wet. not dry up. if it dry;s it leaks refrigerant.

hope i helped.

 

DodgeCaravan2010SXT is right.

The refrigerant lubes the bearings inside, and usually when the bearing goes its because it has no refrigerant to lubricate it.

Also, yes. If the clutch does not engage AND the bearing is bad then there is 99% likely no refrigerant. They do not engage is the system has been discharged.

Follow the above directions to check the pulley. Just take off the belt and spin it by hand. Youll know immediately if its bad.

And finally, a piece no one else has touched on yet:

IF you have to replace the compressor (which sounds likely) you need to clean the lines out too. What happens when the bearings in the compressor go is that lots of small pieces of the bearing and compressor itself can get into your lines. When you hook up the new compressor and get it charged, all those little shards of metal get circulated in your new compressor and tear it up. And it puts you back where started; with a bad compressor. This is why the warrantys on AC Compressors usually only run for 90 days as opposed to longer warranties for other parts. They know backyard mechanics dont do this many times, and a lot of them (us) dont even know TO do it. They (we) just take off broken stuff and put new stuff on.

I used compressed air and blew it though all of the lines before I replaced and charged my AC unit. That was 2 years ago now and its still good.

 

as said previous is right too. there chance that the compressor failed. but you could have small filling in the system but big wount. thats why you either replace or clean out the main orfice which has a screen on it to not allow the particles to go further down. also the receiver is a filter in it as well so it should be replaced if u see lots of metal.