loose a/c compressor
 

Just got back from a trip and noticed a lumpy idle. Opened the engine bay to find the a/c compressor bouncing around like a head on a stick. Upper bracket bolts are tight, but who knows what lurks below. Any ideas? Is this unusual?

BTW: Despite 100 degree (F) ambient temp and 5 hours (each way) at 100 mph at up to 5,000' elevation with windows WFO (aero of a brick), the engine ran great- normal temp- normal fuel mileage- low oil consumption-normal idle when stopping or starting. Nice vehicle. What I wouldnt have done for a quiet cockpit that would have resulted from a/c though...

SMS

N.B. Vancouver to Kamloops, for those who will ask.

correcting notification type

The bolts on the mounting plate may have shaken loose. The compressor is firmly attached to the plate but the plate itself is moving around

Post a pic of the compressor and how it is mounted

On my 3.2, several of the mounting threads for the compressor and the plate were stripped. The pot metal bracket is pretty soft and previous overzealous tightening ensured that there wasn't much thread left to grab.

I heli-coiled all of the stripped threads and it's good to go now. Pretty easy in my case, all of the stripped ones were quite accessible.

It is very common to find issues with the three 8mm bolts that hold the Denso on the compressor saddle. The factory bolts are zinc plated and when zinc oxidizes the plated surface expands and the steel corrodes and like you noted the casted saddle threads shear. For those who are working on the compressor for the first time: when you remove the 3 bolts wipe down the threads on the bolts: wire wheel or if you have an 8mm x 1.25 die you can chase the threads, if you got a tap then retap the casting. Put a dab of anti-seize on the threads of the 3 bolts. I've heli-coiled quite a few over the years as well; before you heli-coil make sure there is not already one in there, lol ;)

Yea, I had one stripped threads. The heli-coil has worked fine for years.