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So my girlfriend has a Mazda 3 2.3 sport, about 3 months ago the ac suddenly stopped working after a road trip. That being said I’m a mechanic at a local shop but much to my dismay we sub contract our ac work. After countless hours of electrical testing pressure checking and tons of homework I found the ac clutch was seized. Does any one know if the clutch could be replaced in order to get the ac going again or is it a complete ac compressor job?

Here are the pages from the service manual regarding the clutch. There is a reason why shops sub-contract this kind of work. It is labor intensive and replacing the complete compressor with clutch is usually quicker. Hope this helps.

Yes, you can. A replacement clutch can be found on ebay for $150ish. For anyone doing this, just keep in mind a few things.

  1. You will need to replace the stretch belt going to the pulley. Do not re-use the one currently on it, as removing it can cause damage. A new belt is only $20.
  2. You will need a gear puller tool to get the idler pulley off the compressor shaft. C clip pliers are REALLY helpful for getting that clip off. If you don’t have some, buy a pair. You will use them a lot anyway!
  3. After installing the new idler pulley, you will need to re-shim. I believe the proper air gap is 0.012" to 0.020" but I don’t remember exactly. Overall, the repair can be done for $200 or less if you know what you are doing, and shouldn’t take more than a few hours. Really not that bad. This fix did work for me, until another unrelated part of the AC electrical system failed on me a few years later permanently killing it.