Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting a/c clutch question.

Hi all, this is my first post here.
I have a 1995 contour, 4 cylinder. I have this noise coming from my a/c clutch, almost like a "jingling" noise. It goes away, when the clutch is engaged. Someone looked at it, and said it looked like there might be a piece missing. Has anyone else come accross this problem? Are there any sites, where I would be able to see a picture, and see if in fact there is something missing?
Thanks.

My experience (w/ other vehicles w/ same symptom) has been that the a/c "clutch" doesn't release all the way when not in use. Clearance between the driving element & the driven element is very small & any variation in spring preload tension doesn't allow the driven element to release completely.

The "spring" preload appears to get "tired" after a while (I can relate). Other than the noise (which typically goes away after a while), the problem is not serious unless the clearance is such that the compressor keeps rotating sporadically; if so, replace clutch unit.....my $.02.....

i had the same thing and it ended up being bearing's

Interesting.
Thank you for your input.
One thing i didn't mention, is, there is a "plate" in the middle that is loose, if i touch it, it wiggles, and i suspect that is where the noise comes from.