Had been driving the 2010 xc60 with ac on working fine. Stopped to wash the car (no water under hood as far as I know). Started it back up and was getting a burning smell from the vents. Popped the hood, the ac clutch was not engaging, it was sort of stopping and starting, and the there was a burning smell from the ac clutch area. Turned off the ac. Then turned it back on and it's been normal since so far... AC blows cold. Is this the sign of a failing/slipping clutch or seizing compressor? I couldn't tell if the burning was from the clutch or the belt was getting hot (it did look like the pulley was spinning). I can get a used compressor for $185 and hope for an indy to put it in, or a new clutch for $283, if someone will do that, or go aftermarket or new oem and then it gets pricier... Any thoughts or experiences to share? Thank you.

 

my experience is that when the AC clutch starts to slip, it will heat up and then it lose its grip (heat diminishes the electro-magnet's force) and the AC stops working. Common repair on these cars is to reshim the AC clutch for that reason. Starting/stopping of the clutch could be caused by incorrect system pressure causing either the low or high pressure sensor to cut the circuit.

 

Thank you I was wondering about the shims, I read about that after posting. I may try that. I guess I can see if it happens again, and try to troubleshoot. AC is still cold as of this evening.