Couple of Questions on Parts

Well....this weekend while in the process of fixing some of the problems as a result of my recent accident that the guys at the Insurance company and body shop didn't catch (alternator and upper radiator hose), I've found that my A/C Clutch and Mechanical Fan Bearing/Hub assembly are both bent. I've done some searching for the last couple of nights and it appears that the fan bearing/hub is pressed into that bracket, thus meaning the entire bracket has to be replaced.

I haven't had any luck looking online for either the clutch or bracket/bearing/hub assembly. The reason i'm looking is because Insurance is of course fighting me on fixing it, saying there was nothing wrong with it when they looked it over (BS!). So, i'm preparing for the possibility of having to fix all of this myself and trying to get an idea of what i'm looking at cost wise.

I'm taking it back to the body shop first thing Thursday morning because after calling them and explaining what I found, he wants to see it...so it looks like i'll be tearing into everything again Thursday morning to proove my point.

Any help on prices, or best places to get these parts is greatly appreciated. I'm more worried about the fan hub/bearing than I am the AC clutch...as from searching on here, not many have had to replace that bearing before.

You mean the fan clutch ?

No, he means the shaft that the clutch mounts on. It's part of the A/C compresser mount, with a shaft & bearing. You know, the thing that makes A/C delete a pita. If you are fighting with the insurance co. get dealer prices. They will beat you down on everything so start off with new prices. I ran a body shop for many years & have dealt with scores of claims. Insurance claims can be supplemented, all body shops do it regularly. The adjuster will probably locate used parts & prices so start off high. Is it your insurance or are you a claimant against someone elses policy? If it's your insurance it can be a pain, but if you are a claimant where someone else is at fault go for their balls. Demand a rental car untill they settle & that will get their attention. Don't try to rip them off but don't settle untill you are satisfied. Insurance adjusters try to chisel everything , it's their job. Good luck!

Right, not the fan clutch but the bearing. The clutch and fan were replaced due to the accident. Here's a picture I scanned from my FSM and sent to the body shop explaining what I needed:




Chuck, I am going through my own insurance, since I rear-ended somebody. There are two problems I am running into right now. The first one is I didn't take it to one of their listed "blue ribbon specialized repair shops" (Nationwide Insurance)....instead I took it to the only person I knew anything about in the Charlotte area since I go to school and live down here now, and by law I have every right to take it where ever I want to. The second problem is that it was very very close to being totaled (with in a couple hundred bucks). However, the shop called me before insurance even had a chance to process it with them and said he could fix it, and then Insurance called me and said they could go either way with it and asked me what I wanted to do, so I told them to go ahead and fix it. If they keep fighting me on it, i'm going to bring up that last part again.

Yes,you can take it anywhere you want,but they dont have to pay the total cost.Whatever they deside will be based on their "accepted" fair market prices.Since you were at fault,you will pretty much be at their mercy,and be ready for that next rate hike!

I'm afraid you don't have much leverage with your own insurance when the rig is marginal, but they can supplement the original bid IF the adjuster feels like it, but as RCP Phx put it "if you were at fault, you will pretty much be at their mercy". The good news is virtually all 97/99 XJs have A/C & the part should be under $50 used, at a full service wrecking yard, $15 at a pull-a-part. I'm just assuming it's a 99. The bracket might fit more years than that, but I believe that's what years the compressers fit. Don't try to repair it, just replace the whole bracket.

Well what it came down to is, if Insurance has to spend any more money on it, it's going to be totaled, that's how close it is. My guy at the body shop doesn't think i'll have any problems out of it, but I say otherwise (he's absolutely amazing at body work, but he really should leave the mechanics to somebody else).

So, looks like i'm going to have to replace this myself, because I know they're going to go out....probably sooner than later knowing my luck. I'm going to hit up one of the junkyards and see what they'll take for the fan bearing/hub assembly, and since we'd have to go to all that trouble to replace the AC clutch, we might as well put a whole new compressor on and be done with it, since it has to come off for the fan bearing bracket (and my dad can get a really good deal on a AC compressor from Napa).