Thanks to the advice on the Brickboard about excessive A/C clutch clearance, my A/C is working again, and I can add some info to the A/C clutch repair procedure that I posted two years ago.

Checking for the problem is pretty straightforward. If you remove the plastic undertray, you can measure the A/C clutch gap with a feeler guage. (Engine should not be running when you do this.) Much like the first person to report on the issue of A/C clutch wear, mine measured .041" - .042". This appears to be the gap distance at which the clutch becomes incapable of pulling in the clutch plate in hot weather. I removed shims to get it down to .019" and it has had no problem in the recent 100+ deg F weather.

Two years ago, I had posted information about using three 5mm X 080 bolts to pull off the clutch plate. Let me add some info to that: Unless you can find some hardened 5MM bolts, the tip of the bolts will be damaged in the course of pulling off the clutch plate, and will damage the threads in the threaded holes in the clutch plate when you remove the bolts. Therefore, when you go buy the 5MM bolts, I recommend that you also buy a 5MM X 080 tap, and an extra set of bolts. This will allow you to clean up the threads before you replace the clutch plate, as well as have another set of bolts to remove the plate again, if you find that your first attempt at shimming did not get you where you wanted to go.

Just pulling off the clutch plate to reshim, with the compressor still connected to the refrigerant lines is much easier than completely replacing the clutch while the compressor is still connected. You still need to swing the radiator forward, unbolt the receiver/dryer bracket, and remove the 4 bolts that hold on the compressor. But you should be able to get the clutch plate off in an hour (less if you have done it before), and have it back together in 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There is no reason on earth to replace the entire compressor if all you need is a reshim of the compressor clutch. There is a difference of about $800 between buying a compressor & refrigerant that you don't need and reshimming the clutch plate without even disconnecting the lines.