Brian66062

The clutch went out on my 06 maxima ac compressor and it makes a horrible growling noise both when the clutch is engaged and no engaged. I'm not ready to replace the clutch yet as I also have to replace the condenser before I put on the new compressor. It looks like I could just run a belt from the crankshaft pulley to the alternator and bypass the ac compressor. Has anybody done this bypass? If so, what size of belt did you use?

Also, I think the clutch went out because the compressor locked up when the system ran dry because of a leak in the condenser. I would have thought there would be a low pressure switch that would have prevented to compressor from running when the Freon pressure got below a certain pressure. Is there a low pressure switch? should I be looking for some other reason the compressor locked up and ruined the clutch?

Thanks for any help with this problem.

ac max 92

iTrader: (13)

Possibly no compressor oil.

Brian66062

That is what if figured. With the freon leak all the oil blew out of the system and the compressor locked up. I always thought those systems had some kind of low pressure switch that prevented the compressor from running when pressure was low. I guess they don't. If I would have known, I would have crawled underneath and unplugged the compressor. Oh well, a $100+ lesson.

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

I did the bypass when I had a 4th gen. All I did was use a shorter belt. I'm not sure what size belt it would be for the 6th gen though, but it worked fine and I was able to delay the compressor repair.

I believe there is a switch or safety feature to protect the compressor when the pressure is too high or too low, so I'm not sure why yours locked up. When I was adding r134a to my 6th gen, I accidentally overfilled it and the compressor would not turn on at all. It also didn't turn on when the level was too low.

Brian66062

To follow-up: I went to Autozone and they didn't have anything short enough in a 6 rib belt. They had a 35" 5 rib that I bought to try. It was a struggle but I finally got it to go on. There is a head of a bolt that sticks out right where the belt runs when tight. The 5 rib doesn't hit it but the 6 rib would have. Driving around a few miles, everything seemed fine. I'm thinking that this bolt head should keep the belt from jumping ribs. If not, it will probably tear up the belt. I'm going to have to run it like this for a few days before I get parts to replace the compressor and condenser. I'll update if it doesn't work.

gately66

Old post, but I did install a 6 rib (Autozone 358k6 - $8.99) belt on my 2006. There is a AC compressor mount bolt in the way, but i removed it temporarily until I replace the AC pulley bearing. I took a couple pictures so folks can see.

David Howell

Will this work with 2005 Maxima

User1

Yes.

dandr3

do you remember how you took the mounting bolt out & I already took the compressor off should I put it back on just to have the ac pipe connections in place or should I be fine leaving it off ?

User1

What is your q? Mount the compressor as you removed it. It is critical that you have proper alignment with AC connections. This ensures a proper seal. The O-ring seals require specific tolerance to be effective.