R50 A/C compressor bearing Question

[Bunchie]

Hey peeps, figured out why there was no A/C belt on Goldy-clutch bearing is shot. The Q is: did Nissan change the a/c pump at all from 2001 to 2004?

 

I ask bc I would like to be able to pre purchase the bearing so as to not stop "mid job" to go buy a $10 part. IF no changes were made, does anyone happen to know the bearing number????

 

And yes I searched this topic, found fiftytwelve items which gave me absolutely no further insight on the subject.

 

Input pls. Cheers, V.

[hawairish]

To be sure, you're talking about the bearing in the compressor unit, and not the bearing for the idler pulley nearby? Or is it the clutch itself that is bad?

[QuasarDecimari]

Very curious about this myself. I always thought the clutch couldn’t be disassembled, and I’m certain the bearings on my AC compressor clutch are going out. It’d be lifesaving if it’s possible to fix, rather than buying a new $500 compressor...

 

 

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[hawairish]

Can't say I've looked, but I would also expect the clutch to not be serviceable; riveted unit. There is a p/n for the just the clutch (92660-4W00A), but it exceeds the cost of a replacement aftermarket compressor with clutch (closer to $300 or less?).

 

Other reason for asking for clarification is if you threw a belt, I would have expected a grenading idler bearing to have been the problem. Of course, with the belt routing behind other belts, I would have expected some carnage.

[Bunchie]

Got it that way from PO. Just got around to changing them now. Vehicle did NOT have an a/c belt when purchased. Checked the idler pulley and it is tight & smooth running.

 

★★If you can service an Altima a/c pump bearing why couldn't you w/the Pathfinder?★★

 

The clutch bearing is really the ONLY moving part at that end of the compressor. An electromagnet holds the pump drive shaft when you turn ur AC on. The actual pump drive does not spin when NOT engaged.

 

The bearing would be the most likely failure point-its ALWAYS spinning. And the idler pulley looks newer than anything else down there.

 

"It seems we have a mystery on our hands"....

[Slartibartfast]

HA-175 of the '03 manual shows the clutch coming off with just the one bolt in the middle of the clutch plate (they also show a special puller tool to pull the pate off of the clutch) and then a snap ring behind that. I don't see any mention of the bearing, but that doesn't mean it's not possible to replace, only that Nissan didn't see the need to cover it. HA-18 has a cutaway of the compressor. It's not well labelled, and I've never been good at figuring out what's connected to what in cutaways, but it looks to me like there's a dual-race bearing retained to the front of the compressor housing by an external circlip. I assume this would be staring you in the face once you got the clutch off.

Given that it's buggered already, what do you have to lose? Take it off, see if you can get into it. If you can get that bearing off, maybe it's got a part number, or you can find a replacement by dimensions.

[Mbrianc]

The bearing is staked in the clutch. A little work with a Dremel and it comes off. The pain is removing the snap ring off the compressor shaft with the compressor still in the vehicle.

 

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Edited May 24, 2018 by Mbrianc

[Bunchie]

He guys, went a different route w/the AC compressor.  Bough a used one and a PS pump($140 CAN) from a guy who was partin out one from an aborted engine swap job he was doing for someone. Gotta do the brakes tomorrow-all 4 corners, just to be sure  if the weather decides to cooperate....AC compressor  and PS pump installation will follow.  Will advise...V.  

[system_f]

Time to add more useless information to cyber space.   

Quote

The Q is: did Nissan change the a/c pump at all from 2001 to 2004?

 

This is an interesting question and worth mentioning.  Based on personal observation, which could be completely wrong, I think they did change the compressors for the later models.  I know for a fact that the earlier models use a variable displacement compressor, which is cool as all get-out but very complicated.  This compressor bases the displacement of the compressor on the heat load put on the system.  Replacement rebuilt compressors could be had for about $180 at a local (to me) re-builder shop.  The front seal on my 98 blew after 220k miles.

 

My 2002 does not seem to have the variable displacement compressor.  I have noticed the compressor cycles on and off like Xterras and Frontiers of the same vintage.  More observation will be needed here.

[Slartibartfast]

I didn't know about the swash-plate aircon compressors until recently. That's a cool bit of engineering right there.

The compressor cutaway diagrams in the '97 and '03 manuals are almost identical. The ID# at the bottom is different, and the arrows pointing out components are styled differently, but the discharge capacity and piston stroke are the same and the diagram itself appears unchanged (as far as I can tell). That said, FactoryNissanParts shows part 936000W010 for a '96-'00 and 926004W00A for '01-'04. Different mounts for the VQ, maybe? The Rockauto catalog also shows different part #s for two of the three options available for an '00 or an '01, though the last one they list is the same, strangely enough.

This raises the question of why yours is cycling. "For air conditioning systems with the V-6 compressor, the clutch remains engaged unless: the system main switch [I assume this is the aircon switch on the climate control head], fan switch, or ignition switch is turned OFF. When ambient temperatures are low or when the amount of refrigerant is insufficient, the clutch is disengaged to protect the compressor." Maybe your system's low on gas, and it's cycling because it's drawing the low-side pressure down too far and tripping the cutoff?