Auto Air Conditioning & Heater Repair: Air conditioning intermittent, dodge ram 1500, magnetic clutch

Question
I have a 98 dodge ram 1500 5.9L.  The AC has been intermittent for the past few months.  it will run for a while and then just go warm.  It seems to run longer when it is colder out.  If it is over 90 degrees it may only run for 5 minutes.  I did a little troubleshooting today and noticed that when it went warm, the clutch shuts off.  Turning the AC switch on and off didn't help.  Once the engine cooled down, I checked power at the connector of the wire harness that goes to the clutch and if the AC switch was on, it had approx 13 VDC, regardless if the clutch was on or not, if I turned the AC off, the voltage disappeared.  It sounds like my clutch is going out (I think), but could there be anything else in the system that would cause this problem?  Thanks!

Answer
Hello Kevin,If you got a feeler gauge and find the gap for .018 to .022 check the air gap between the front hub and main pulley. If it`s bigger than those measurements I would recommend a clutch assembly.That compressor gives Dodge alot of problems so you might want to consider replacing the compressor completely.Large air gap would`nt engage the magnetic clutch and that happens from normal wear and tear.

Good luck, davidt