Age old A/C clutch question

[96ranger]

'96 ranger 3.0. How do I know the A/C compressor clutch is bad? I noticed that my air started blowing warm, about seventy degrees. After about 10-15 min. cooling came back and went down to around fifty degrees. Today I noticed that the compressor was not cycling on and off as regularly as it used to, if at all. I also noticed that the Compressor clutch was not spinning, thus warm air. I tapped the front of the clutch and it started spinning and blowing cold air again. Is this a clutch symptom, or maybe the cycling switch on the accumulator, or something electrical? Guess I should make sure the Compressor is getting 12volts. Should I keep the air off to keep any further damage at bay?

 

[krazykracker]

im having this same exact problem on my 94'

 

[KurtC]

You hit the front of the compressor and it started turning? If you have a multimeter or test light, see if it's got 12v when the a/c button is on and the compressor isn't turning. If that's the case, maybe there's too much of a gap between the clutch face and hub. Depending on how it's put together, maybe you can use a thinner washer to close the gap.