Ok, my AC has acted up at the beginning of summer 2-3 years in a row. Usually, I can keep turning the AC off and on and it gets the clutch cleaned up enough and then it works for the rest of the summer. This year, that trick isn't working.
I can observe the clutch engage for a few seconds, it appears to put a LOT of drag on the motor (you can hear it and see it move). It will try to kick on while I'm standing there watching but usually never stays on for more than a second or two. I thought maybe it was low on freon, but I was able to get the compressor to come on long enough and with it running, the gauge said it was within spec. Most of the time, you can see the clutch engage and do some herky jerky turns before giving up and then trying again after a minute or so. To my eye, I think something is wrong with the compressor itself but I thought it worthy to ask those more familiar before going that route. I've read about some tricks with the clutch that I may try next. The Alabama heat and humidity are getting started so I need to get this fixed pretty quick. Please feel free to share any and all ideas.

Thanks,
Joel

 

Oh, I've got 207k+ miles on this vehicle if that helps.

 

My guess would be there is too much clearance between the clutch and compressor. You could probably remove the clutch, and take out a shim or two, and it would work fine. I was afraid to do this, and like a fool paid the dealership $600+ to change the clutch and stator(coil). There is a guy who claims he successfully did this on his Accord. You would need a feeler gauge to check the clearance.

 

When a system is low on freon it will cycle on and off, like you described, try adding 1 can of freon.

If the compressor runs longer as you are adding freon, keep going until the compressor stops cycling.

As soon as the compressor stops cycling, stop adding, that is close enough to full.

 

I would try a charge first before playing with the clutch, just to make sure the system is full. Systems these days use so little Freon, any little bit missing makes the A/C system do weird things.

If you have to replace the clutch, be sure to use care removing it. Use only hand tools and a torque wrench to tighten the bolt to the shaft. Guys at my shop who don't have time for hand tools usually snap these shafts pretty regular.