Excellent thread.
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Follow up. Clutch gap measured was around .6mm, which is over tolerance, but not by much which explains why it cuts out only in the hottest weather. Checking with dealers here, they will only replace with new compressor (which comes with new clutch). No repair on clutch (removing internal shims) offered. So, I'll wait until it gets worse and either find an Indie that can do clutch repair or find someone to assist me do the bread clip method.
Your car is a 2001 and shouldn't go anywhere near a dealer. Dealers never repair anything, they typically only swap parts. Find a good independent air conditioning shop.
There is a very good Indy mechanic in Minneapolis / Bloomington that I have heard mentioned. PM me and I will try to find the name. (Note - no affiliation, as I don't even live in the same country)!
I just completed what I'll call the "Rower AC Clutch-Gap Repair" as described in 850 A/c Clutch Gap Fix at Volvospeed forums.
The clutch on my 2002 Ocean Race v70XC did not look like the one in his picture so I could not figure out how to use the bread clip solution. Instead, I used small cable ties with about .4mm thickness. Since the AC compressor is below the alternator, which is below the power steering pump this was a bit of a hassle given the narrow space within which to work. Maybe it's possible to get at it from the wheel well but I wanted to see if I could do this without any disassembly in the course of my repair.
My procedure was to turn the cluth using a long screwdriver until I could see one of the three slots between the clutch retaining hub and the clutch body. I then stick a screwdriver into the gap between the clutch and the retaining ring to get enough separation to insert a shimming material. Tin foil was too thin and bread clips were not going to stay in. I used 'mosquitos' (a surgical instrument like a tiny pair of pliers with a set of pawls to keep them closed) to feed the cable ties in and pull them through the other side. I put on three ties at equidistant points around the clutch and this seems to have solved the problem. I checked to make sure that the clutch disengages when the AC is shut off. I'll reply back if the repair fails at some point but so far so good (knock, knock).
/mjp
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