My TJ came with AC stock but it was bypassed with a non AC serpentine belt when I bought it. I didn't care at the time and didn't think much of it, at least until I found out that you could use them for On Board Air. So when I started looking into I discovered that it had been unhooked because the bearing in the pulley went bad.
(If your bearing is good skip to step 2)
1). I could have gotten another compressor but the internals looked good so I decided to replace the bearing. I found a replacement at Auto Zone (even had it in stock) for about $20. I used a puller to remove the pulley and then pressed out the old bearing and pressed in the new. One word of advice, the original bearing has this weird swedging thing that helps hold it in. It will still press out it just makes a bit of a bang when it goes past.
For reference this is what it looks like apart. Quite simple really once you figure it out. It can be tricky to get the pistons back in if you take them out though so be patient.
(If your bearing is good skip to step 2)
1). I could have gotten another compressor but the internals looked good so I decided to replace the bearing. I found a replacement at Auto Zone (even had it in stock) for about $20. I used a puller to remove the pulley and then pressed out the old bearing and pressed in the new. One word of advice, the original bearing has this weird swedging thing that helps hold it in. It will still press out it just makes a bit of a bang when it goes past.
For reference this is what it looks like apart. Quite simple really once you figure it out. It can be tricky to get the pistons back in if you take them out though so be patient.
2). Next I took the front and back covers off to clean the old oil out and pack it full of grease. Some people use in line oilers and then a filter on the other side to collect it but I decided to try this method. When you get the piston side removed and take the valve body/head gasket off you will see the tops of the pistons. There is a hole with a slot that needs to be plugged so that grease doesn't circulate with the air. I used a 1/4 set screw to plug it.
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Once you get the compressor all put back together and buttoned up you are ready to mount it in the Jeep. This was super easy for me since my Jeep came with AC. It went right back in it's spot and all the correct Idler pulleys were there. Most Jeeps have the mounting bracket but your Jeep might require a different Idler pulley or two depending on the application.