Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Compressor Clutch

I have a 95 contour GL and I was looking for information on installing a clutch and pulley on the compressor. I went on the Ac Information Forum and I ran across this:
This vehicle uses an FX15/FS10 compressor which is known for compressor failures. Black death is the main cause for this and requires a fair amount of work to clean/remove the debris. Here are 2 links one concerning Black Death and the other concerning Flushing an auto a/c system. Here is the Black Death link the flushing link is nolonger available
http://www.ackits.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Black%20Death

I've found some good information on this site and I have never heard anyone say anything about Black death being a problem for our compressor. Just curious to know if anyone else has heard of this black death or experienced it. Now back to my issue. I still think it is my clutch that is bad in my system compressor is making a grinding noise. I need to know what special tool is needed to remove the pulley and any other helpful information for this install Thanks

If your clutch is slipping,this topic might help you, the compressor on the SAAB is almost identical A/C clutch topic I followed it, and it worked on my sister's 1995 Mystique, which lost the A/C when hot. You can get a new clutch assembly from RockAuto.com. See if the compressor turns reasonably by hand. The Black Death is when the compressor is wearing out, and I imagine that happens a lot in hot climates where you have a/c on anytime you drive.

I have not seen the "black death" on Contours. It was very common on Aerostars. It happens when the compressor blows up and sends debris throughout the system. It can be flushed out, but requires special flushing equipment. If the compressor did not blow up, you don't have "black death". It can be confirmed by removing a line for inspection.