I’m having an issue with the A/C on my '99 Olds Alero GLS. The A/C coil clutch is rubbing and making a high pitched screeching sound. Essentially the spinning belt is causing friction with the clutch assembly. I’ve had a mechanic look at it and haven’t yet gotten the final diagnosis but his initial instinct was that the clutch and compressor would need to be replaced. My issue is that the A/C works fine. It seems that the compressor is operating fine and the clutch, absent the noise, works as well. I’d prefer not to replace a perfectly functional A/C compressor simply to quiet a noise.
My mechanic said that you need to replace the compressor and clutch as one unit and can’t simply replace the clutch alone. I did some parts shopping online and I was able to locate a clutch for the unit individually for about $50 (the compressor and clutch combo is $300+) but I also made a trip to Pep Boys and had them look up the part and they didn’t have listings for just the clutch, only the full assembly.
Car guys, what’s the deal? Can you buy the clutch alone and if you can can it be installed simply into a existing compressor without major issue? Am I misunderstanding something about how this unit works?