Re: AC clutch bearing

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

Mike Bucher <mbucher@domain.elided> scribbled in the sand:

>Contact your local bearing supply house.  I always go to my local "Bearing
>Engineering" when I need bearings.  Usually half the price.  Get a shielded
>bearing so you can pop the rubber/plastic shield at 60K intervals and
>repack the bearing.  Ran the original bearings in a Datsun alternator for
>400K with occasional repacking.  AC compressor bearings need to be repacked
>around 60-70K intervals.  
>
>If you have the bearing out, you should be able to read the numbers, if
>not, take it to you bearing supply house and they will measure it and match
>it.

Well Mike (and Allan),

I called Nachi America's west coast office this morning (the manufacturer of
the bearing) and they directed me to BESCO (Bearing Engineering Supply Co.) in
Seattle.  I quick call to BESCO and I discovered it's a special order bearing
direct from the factory.  Damage... $22.00 plus shipping and tax.  At first I
didn't like the idea of paying that much, so I started researching via the WWW
and calling around to different bearing suppliers.

It turns out this bearing is definitely non-standard and the closest
cross-over which might be called "standard" would be a 5206 series in *extra
wide*.  This extra wide 5206 bearing is ever so slightly wider than the
original Nachi bearing, but would work fine.  No one had the 5206 bearing in
stock either, and the prices quoted ranged from $37.74 to $56.83.  The price
of the original Nachi bearing through BESCO started looking a lot better at
that point.

So after I thought about trudging through wrecking yards trying to find a
replacement magnetic clutch assembly of the correct fit and of questionable
remaining service life, I decided ordering the Nachi bearing was the lesser of
the available evils.  So it'll be here in a few days.

But Allan, I can assure you no one has been in this clutch before.  I thought
the compressor was from an earlier vintage IH, but the data plate indicates it
was made July of 1978.  There are no signs that the magnetic clutch was ever
disturbed.  There are several heavy metal tabs that I had to chisel slightly
and bend out of the way before I could tap out the bearing.  There would have
been evidence present on these tabs had they been disturbed previously.

Just so you know, Nachi bearings are designed and made right here in the USA.
The *are* most likely a foreign owned corporation.  In any case, I doubt IH
would have asked York where they sourced the bearings in the magnetic clutch
assembly... so long as it met IH's needs.  I'm willing to bet IH bought this
compressor more or less "off-the-shelf" from York, with the exception of
specifying a few options and having the IH data plate affixed.

Take care,

John
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