2000 LeSabre noisy ac clutch pulley/bearing and how to fix?

[GJAMES]

The car only has 65K miles, it sat up after the in laws passed away, but I drove it occasionally and now my daughter drives daily to high school, ball practice, etc. I have noticed the sound getting louder and I wish it was the belt tension-er, but when I put the AC on, it gets quieter so I suspect the worst, I have the same issue with a 03 Lincoln Town Car but have been living with it for almost two years. I turned the pulleys by hand on the TC when putting a new tension-er and belt on, and could feel the AC clutch pulley making a slight scraping feeling. While at the Chevy dealer for Suburban service, I asked if they could quote me labor to put on a new AC clutch and they said they can only do labor when they sell the parts, and they do not sell an ac clutch or a bearing separately like I can get for the Lincoln, they could only quote me on a new compressor with clutch and all the resulting labor to switch it out which means at their prices I could just stroll over to their used car lot and buy another car for what that would cost.

Does anybody know if a new pulley/clutch bearing can be had ? I have seen those for $30 for my Lincoln. Or, can a clutch assembly be bought without buying a compressor which would entail all the kit pieces, o rings, dryers, accumulators, more freon, lots of extra labor etc. etc. and the AC works well and the car's mileage is low. Maybe I should start shopping for a mechanic willing to do this or does anyone know if the unit is so hard to get to, that the compressor has to come off anyway? Thanks in advance!

 

[HotZ28]

If you really think the A/C clutch bearing is at fault, it can be replaced with the ones shown in the first link below. If you want to replace the complete clutch assembly (New Clutch Assy), check out the second link. A/C shops, or an independent an ASE certified shop may be the best bet. Considering the age of the car, it might be best to replace the complete compressor, accumulator & expansion valve. I would use the DELPHI CS20009 shown in the third link.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+air+conditioning,a/c+compressor+bearing,6548
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...&+air+conditioning,a/c+compressor+clutch,6572
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...8,heat+&+air+conditioning,a/c+compressor,6628

 

[gnhbodyguy]

I would try a can of A/C system oil first. It worked for me.

 

[G-732596]

How do you apply the A/C system oil ?

I would try a can of A/C system oil first. It worked for me.