1998 civic dx


Today while driving down the freeway, the armature plate sheared off of the clutch assembly. Belt and pulley are fine and car still runs fine. Of course there is no AC now (killer in the Houston heat). Did my compressor lock up or clutch fail? Clutch assembly is only about six months old. Any advise?

 

Are you talking about the plate next to the belt? Between the mount and compressor?

 

I am a little lost too, the mount that holds the a/c compressor to the block?

 

The very outter plate...has i believe 3 bolts...triangular shape

 

Use your phone and take a pic so we can see.

 

Oh. That.... No need for more explanation... Your clutch fall off. Sorry dude. You need new compressor.

Before freaking out, check for the bolt in the center of the compressor. See if it's still there or it broke off. If it broke off, you definitely need a new compressor. If it's still there, then you just need new clutch plate.

 

Take the compressor out and assess the damage. If the nut simply came loose, it probably just means the clutch plate fell off. Inspect the pulley and make sure it it still rotates freely and quietly. Look at the spindle where the plate was attached. Is it sheared off or twisted? If not, go get another plate, a new nut and some shims from the junkyard and slap it on there. Then rotate the plate by hand and see if there is a lot of play or anything out of the ordinary going on. Also make sure there's enough clearance. It should be .014-.026 inches using a feeler gauge.

If it turns out the spindle is twisted or sheared off, you'll need a new compressor. It was likely due to there not being any clearance between the pulley and plate. In which case, the pulley was trying to turn while the plate was trying to stay in place. A conflict of interest, if you will.

 

Thanks guys....I'll keep you updated

 

Just go feel the center of the compressor where the plate fall off. If you feel a bolt sticking out like 2 inches, you just need new clutch. It'll be cheap.