Car AC system repair:Flush or not?

The AC pulley bearing and clutch grenaded on my Taurus. Evidently its chronic on this model. I took it off. The system was still sealed and cold until the pulley failed. The new one comes as a "kit". Compressor, drier, orifice, flush and oil. I'm reluctant to flush it since I don't know how good I can do. And since the internal part of the compressor never failed, only the drive, there shouldn't be any schrapnel in the system. Yet, since this thing is a real honey to get at and I've never done it, plus the cost, I also want it to be good. What do you guys think?

NO flush needed
HOWEVER pull a strong vacuum 500 microns or less

if the oil in the old compressor is clean, do not flush.

Why are you installing a "KIT" when you can replace the clutch and idler without opening the system? I didn't look your Taurus up but the same clutch fits 75% of Fords built over the last 20 years. If you decide to replace clutch only,use a puller to remove old one and draw new one on with a bolt. Do not pry or beat on it or compressor will be damaged. Regardless which direction you choose,set air gap on new clutch between .016 and .030 ,preferablly nearer .018 to .022. After she's back togeather burnish plate,cycle the clutch 2 or 3 dozen times while engine is idleing 800 to 1200 rpm pausing 5 secounds between off and on (any pause is ok between on and off).

Why consider going into the sealed system at all? Are you saying that you have to buy and install a complete new compressor and clutch just to get the clutch part? If so then bleed the system off slowly to save what oil you have. Whether you need to worry about compressor oil or not depends on the type of compressor. If a piston like the old Yorks you have an oil sump. If the wobble box rotary compressor which most are these days the oil is all over the system. If you bleed the system slowly where you don't vent much if any oil I wouldn't worry about adding oil either. New compressor may already have a charge amounting to what you would loose in your od compressor.

Agree on the vacuuming. Gotta get the internal pressure down to a micron vacuum to boil out any moisture in the system. Course if the system is sealed, and the compressor is sealed, and you get everything ready and make the change on a hot day with low humidity, you probably don't have to worry about that. However, the vacuum helps in getting the freon level into the system before you fire it up and set up your pressures.

If you never broke into an ac you might go to UTube and look at a video. The other thing is reclaming the freon. Not up to speed on current laws, but you can't vent Freon 12 and 22. Have to capture it in a tank and then do what with it......

Also have to get the right freon 134a? for your system and compressor. The evaporator, condenser (coils), and compressor make a matched set for a given freon.

Maybe you ought to just pay somebody that does it for a living to do the job for you. If you were just going to unbolt a clutch and replace it with a new one, no big deal. To change out a compressor and get the recharge right takes somebody that knows what they are doing.

My references are National Tech Schools, Master course in Heating, AC, and Ref. plus many 10's of years of servicing my and other folks units on a casual basis.

Think about it.

Why pull A vacium if the system has not been opened, replace the clutch and go.

Cant get at the clutch unless your hands and puller are about 3/8" thick. This is on the DOHC 3.0 which is by most standards, a "honey" to work on. Had to pull bumper cover and rad to get this far. Might be an easier way and some short cuts, but I wanted to see what I was doing.

I don't know where the "chronic" description comes from. My Taurus is 22 years old, and the only A/C service it has had is when I updated it to R-134a. Still on the original clutch.
I would not open the system unless I really had to. I would also NOT do the "kit" thing. The MOST I would do is to replace the whole compressor. The receiver/dryer, orifice, et al would be overkill. No need. As you said, the internals of the system were unaffected.
To reinforce what you have already been told, if you do open the system, it is necessary to evacuate the system to remove all air and moisture from the system before recharging it. Both are deadly to an A/c system.

Yea, engines get smaller ever year but they find twice as much EPA crap to shoehorn into the bay. I replaced ac clutch on my 6.0 leaker diesel and you should look under the hood on one of those. After a little head scratching I removed the fan and fan shrouds (about 20 minutes) to gain access. Word of advice,if you remove the fan rent the tool. I held the pulley with a long bar and used an 18" pipe wrench to break the fan threads loose. When I put everthing back togeather and fired it up the waterpump was leaking. Had to turn around and do it all over again.

Those compressors can come out from the bottom or top, I usually pull from the top, either way is just about the same amount of work but taking out from the top is less messy. I don't think there is enough wiggle room to get the 3 clutch pieces off/on with where its at and the way the manifold line is made I don't think you can move it around enough to get the room. The 3.0 12v is similar but a little more room than the 3.0 24v DOHC.

NOT sure about the guys telling you to replace just the clutch, 'caus typically that takes a bunch of special tools/pullers/installers and often the clutch costs as much or more than a complete unit.

What year? With that little tidbit of info, we can surf over to Rock Auto and check prices.

You don't need the flush. What you do need is to use brake cleaner and thoroughly clean around every connection you are going to break loose so you don't let anything in. What debris that is in there from normal wear will be inside the orfice which you are going to replace.

I agree IF ONLY the clutch gets replaced
HOWEVER OP stated compressor, orifice, dryer etc was to be replaced which means the system will be open and needs to be vacuumed down