Hey guys, my brother has a 71 (i believe) chrysler 300...it is unrestored and a really beautiful 440 car. The problem he is facing is that the a/c compressor spun a bearing or something, and is now siezed up...so with that pully not spinning, he is in a jam...he was going to make some kind of idle-er in it's place to keap the pulley system running, because he has had some problems find the old style of compressor...it looks like a v-twin motorcycle engine......i told him i would ask you guys if you could find anythign cuz the car really should be kept original!!!!It is nearly pristine...please help!

Remmeber the pully isn't supposed to be spinning with the clutch not engaged. With that said it sounds like the clutch is locked in engaged mode and the compressor shaft has siezed one way or another.

Quick check says $129 and $199 at kragen.com for the older RV2 type compressor.

A shorter belt may work instead of building a belt tensioner mechanism. Use a piece of string to measure how long you need the belt to be and go to wherever you buy belts.

I have heard about kits to retrofit the newer sanden type compressors on to the cars that used the RV2 York compressor. Try searching google (or this website) for "classic auto air", I believe that is what the name of the place was called. Also see their ads in the mopar magazines.

well..... Shortening the belt won't work because the belt would then run into other engine components. I wouldn't suggets retrofitting a different compressor because the car is still unrestored...it is beautiful.....screwing that up with a newer style compressor would be a shame. I was hoping thta someone would have an old compressor laying around, (wether it actually compressises or not makes no difference)....or that someone might know a trick t get his compressor to spin....

One of the very first repairs I remember doing for myself as a teenager was fixing a problem I had with the A/C compressor on a '72 Ford Gran Torino. When it quit turning, I didn't have enough money to take it to a shop, so I took it apart myself. Inside, I found that a nut had backed off a bolt holding some kind of plate in the little compressor cylinder. When the piston came up, it got jammed before it reached the top of it's stroke.
I went to a local mechanic's shop and he found on a work bench an extra one of those plates to replace my bent one. I put it all back together, recharged the system, and it worked like a charm.

I didn't have the first clue what I was doing, but I knew I couldn't hurt it more than it was already. The moral of this story is: In lieu of having the luxury of replacing something broken, try to fix it, if possible. You might find it wasn't as bad as you thought. If nothing else, you learn something in the process.

Hope you get it worked out. Sounds like a real gem.

Jerry

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There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

That big pulley on the front of the compressor is a idler pulley when the AC clutch is disengaged. So are both the bearing in that pulley and the compressor seized?

You can remove that big pulley assembley. Just remove the center bolt on the front, then you will find the hub of the pulley already threaded. I forget what size, I think it is 5/8". Just thread a big 5/8" bolt in there and turn it with a wrench and it will pull the pulley assembly off of the compressor shaft, that big 5/8" bolt is just used a a puller for the pulley. Now you can see if the bearing in the pulley is seized. The hub in the pulley should turn. You can just install a different pulley assembly from a different compressor for now if that is your problem. (the bearing is replaceable with special tools) It won't matter at this time of the compressor is seized or not. This will get your friend back on the road.

Before you do anything, ensure that the system is fully discharged. Do NOT vent refrigerant to the atmosphere.

As of 2003, it is illegal to dispense R12 in Canada, and I believe it is now illegal to dispense it in the US. R134a is far cheaper than R12 if R12 is still legal, so it's in your interest to replace the seals and receiver/drier for R134a compatibility anyway. This will have no visual impact on the system's appearance. Please, dispose of any refrigerant in the system properly, at the very least. An exchange remanufactured compressor should be available from the local Napa/whatever for a few hundred bucks, and you'll end up with an unrestored 440 that blows cold! If everything else is okay, it won't cost much to charge the system.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Here is installation instructions for the RV2 compressor you are dealing with. (Hope the pic is big enough to be read)
There is no way R12 refrigerant will go to the atmosphere if you remove the rotor pulley assembly only.
Remove the self-locking cap screw (5) and washer (4). Insert a 5/8-11 UNC-2B cap screw in the treaded portion of the hub and tighten. The pressure exerted by the screw on the end of the compressor shaft will force off the rotor-pulley assembly without dammage to the the clutch of the compressor. DO NOT USE A WHEEL PULLER on the outer diameter of the pulley. This can dammage the pulley grooves or the clutch bearing....

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Rafa

Hecho en México