Hi guys

 

I have a Mk 1 Octy L&K.  I last used the aircon 2 or 3 years ago when it then stopped working.  Any, I put it down to lack of gas.  I should point out at this point that this is only the 2nd car I've ever had that has had aircon, the other was a W reg A3 1.8 about 10 years ago, so I know next to nowt about AC.

So I had it re gassed last week.  The guy did a leak test and also told me there was gas still left, so must be leak free.  Drove home the long way but it never came out super cold.  My wife had hers done the previous day and hers blows arctic winds out.  She drive a Mk 2 Octy Elegance.

 

So a little bit of reading and I read that there's a clutch mechanism on the front of the pump pulley, and this is known to fail or fall off.  I observe a photo that has said clutch missing and note there is a spline on the shaft and a thread, obviously where clutch mech keys on to shaft and is done up.

 

So I look under my car at lunch today (I lost my undertray some time ago), and with a mirror, I look at front of pump pulley, only to see that there is no additional shaft protrusion and that it's a simple, pulley bolted on to end of shaft arrangement.  So no clutch, is that right? 

 

I'm thinking it's the pump again now, but to be honest, I've not a bloomin' clue.

 

Any ideas chaps?

"so it's just Jojo don't know nothin'"?

 

Yes, your electromagnetic clutch has made a bid for freedom, the guy who regassed should have seen that.

 

They are reasonably cheap to replace, 13 years ago here in France a new one from VAG was €220, pattern parts will be much cheaper now.

 

The challenge is to hold the shaft still to remove the nut which retains the broken centre of the clutch plate, I tried doing it here with my emergency toolkit as my proper tools were in my UK workshop and had to resort to chiselling off the nut and in doing so bent the shaft (its very thin) then had to suffer 10 years without aircon as those were my years living on savings while renovating the hôtel.

 

After 10 years the scrapyards were full of MK1's and I got a complete pump and clutch etc for £30, the system was dry as a bone but worked perfectly with a recharge.

 

If you are carefull you will be able to replace the clutch (it comes as the whole pulley assembly) and retain the recharge that you have just paid for, the system should then work.

Thanks for replying, but how does it attach if there is nothing to attach it to?  I looked again today from the top, with a small mirror on a stick.  There is no extra shaft outside of the pulley, this is what I'm saying.  The pulley is held on with 3 capheads, and there is a rusty bit on the centre, that is all.

Perhaps I'm being a thicko, but nothing on the internet looks like mine.  I see a plain pulley, held on with 3 capheads.  I will try and post a picture in the week.  If I'm a knob and have missed something, so be it, but I'm sure there is nothing else there.