My AC Compressor recently started squealing. I thought it was a belt issue until the AC died completed. Thats when I figured the clutch went bad. I went out and bought a new clutch and put it on, but I was doing about 6 thing simultaneously when I did it and I absent mindedly popped the pulley hub back on without shimming it correctly. I wasnt worried until I looked and saw that the new replacement pulley hub doesnt have a threaded tap to insert a clutch removal tool!
Boy what a dumb A__ mistake. I tried running the system anyway. It works except one thing---it started to Squeal even worse again. Even worse, something is binding in the compressor so that momentarily the engine itself actaully drops to say 20 to 30 rpm, kind of like what it should look like when you put a timing light on it. I'm sure all of this is due to shimming, The compressor itself is fine, or is it?
Does any AC compressor guru know whats going on? Should I try somehow to remove the clutch hub or just junk the compressor and get a new one.
(AC is on a non mercedes non diesel gasser)

I'm sure no A/C guru, but with engine off can you hold plate on clutch and turn it easily? if it feels tight/crunchy then you can suspect your compressor is failing.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

A squealling A/C compressor "generally" means the belts are squealling as they run across a frozen compressor pulley.......which means your compressor shaft has frozen probably due to black death. This isn't good news.

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84 300DT Puke Yellow. Totalled after 438,000
84 300DT Orient Red. 169,000 (actual mileage may vary)
2002 Explorer EB (wife's)

Thanks Eric and Pete!
The compressor still makes ice cold air with the squealing set up. Also when I did the R134 coversion, I really lubed it up well and flsuhed the system last year and ( dont tell Larry Bible--stuck another extra 3 oz ester oil in it)
I had a brainstorm, there are these three black round things on the front of the ac compressor mounted on the final plate in the front of the pulley/hub assembly. This was the thing that you usually use a clutch tool to remove, but it had no threaded center hole like the oem version. I yanked them off ( the three round things) they were press fitted on, and I tapped three 4mm holes in their mounting holes and used a steering wheel puller to pull the hub assembly off.
The problem was shims, believe it or not, it was rubbing like hell...,