2012 Legacy 2.5i A/C Compressor - Am I Crazy??

Good Evening Gang,

 

So, this past Thursday I drove my oldest son up to Michigan for his freshman year of college in my 2012 Leggy 2.5i. During the drive up there and back, in the 90-ish degree weather and midwest humidity, the A/C was needed but it seemed that the cabin would just not get cool enough.

 

Long story short, it was found that I was low on freon (which is another issue I now have to diagnose) and once I refilled the freon with the freon refill and the trigger that has the gauge on it (pretty nifty, too) it's now blowing ice cold air. However, in looking at my AC compressor, it appears that I do not have a clutch on the front of the pulley.

 

I know technology has created many much more efficient methods of just about everything, but I have never seen anything like it. Oh...and the relay in the fuse box that is labeled for AC Comp is missing. Like not there, doesn't look like it ever was there.

 

So, is this some new fangled witchcraft & sorcery or am I in fact crazy...LOL

 

Thanks in advance.

Yup, it's newfangled witchcraft and/or sorcery. A lot of newer A/C compressors (ours included) are variable-displacement units with no clutch, as compared to the clutched fixed-displacement units of yore. They're always spinning, but when they're not needed, they just completely de-stroke so that they don't move any refrigerant.