Hi, just wanted to know how hard is it to replace an A/C compressor? My A/C compressor basically blow up and has a crack on it, took it to the mechanic basically I am going to be charge an arm and a leg. I was told that they need to replace the compressor and evaporator and recharge the system. What happen was my A/C was making a squeaky noise whenever I try to turn it on and I thought it was the belt and the A/C was not giving me that much cold air so I stop using it till I can get a mechanic to check it out, yesterday it was really hot so I turned on the A/C and sqeaking again then after a minute I heard a big pop under the hood and I saw huge smoke, look at the dash to see if the car is dead but it is still running fine went home and look under the hood and looks like freon oil was all over the engine and compartment. So I was thinking of buying a used compressor from the junkyard and install and take it to the mechanic and have them recharge the ssystem. I read the haynes manual and looks like it is not difficult but the explanation is not too clear like compressor oil? I thought that the 134a refrigerant is suppose to have the oil already built in to it?

any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

they sell oil in its own can..... and with swaping the compressor the worst thing for your AC system is moisture in the system!


i just retrofited my truck from R12 to the 134 stuff which was preaty easy realy! took 3 cans and i also put in one can of the oil as well. always good for any system to add oil and some seal softener....... cause those are just cheap insurance

just look at the AC section and youll see some other cans thier....

 

thanks for the reply, so how can I make sure that the system doesn't have any moisture? and how much oil do I put in?

 

well buy the 134 stuff with high milage which has seal softener and stop leak and oil in with it BUT id also add another car of just oil into the system!!!

if you take it to a shop to charge it up they should vacume the system which should remove any moisture.....

 

If you have a vacuum pump and a manifold gauge set you can do it yourself. Its not that hard really. Hook up the red and blue hoses to the correct place. Hook up the vacuum to the yellow hose. Open both red and blue valves. Turn the vacuum pump on. Keep the A/C system under vacuum for a couple of hours. Put in new refrigerant and oil. You may also need to change the reciever/drier if it is contaminated.

 

Absolutely change the receiver/drier as this is what traps the remaining water. This is a one-time process and there is no way to get water out of a used receiver/drier. Install the new drier last, just before you're ready to recharge. Use new o-rings on every connection you take apart. Also you should consider a new condenser as you may have bits of metal in the condenser from the last compressor, and that will cause trouble. But if you're using junkyard parts you might just roll the dice on that.

Use plain R134a, buy a bottle of oil that is not under pressure and pour it into the compressor before installing it on the car. If it's a used compressor, adapt a socket to an electric drill so you can spin the shaft using the front nut. Then spin the compressor on the bench to blow the old oil out while you pour new oil into the intake. PAG type oil absorbs water like crazy so even if it is a new compressor that comes with oil in it you should still change it. The hard part is knowing how much oil to finally install.

 

If I can just make a suggestion... buy a remanufacturered one from a parts store instead of a used one from a junkyard... you may pay a little more but will get better service in the end. The guy who owned my Civic before me went the junkyard route... got one with a bad clutch bearing... worked for him, but a year later... the bearing shot on me... now I had to throw another $400 at the compressor to get it done the right way... if you plan at all to keep this car for any length of time... get a "new" one.. even if it's reman'd. It's worth the extra $$ The last thing you want to do is replace the compressor next summer...

 

thanks for all the replies, I guess I might have to get a remanufactured compressor.

Is there a way to find out if my condenser is shot or not? or do I just roll the dice and see what happens, don't really have the money to buy all the parts and summer in LA is really bad.

thanks

 

I would agree with buying remanufactured parts. I personally do not like junkyards at at all. I bought an axle from them once and it turned out that I can get an axle from AutoZone for the same price w/ a lifetime warranty. A compressor from AutoZone may also come with a lifetime warranty. If you don't want to worry about the compressor oil, take it to an A/C shop to have it charged. The refrigerant they use has oil premixed and they have machines that will put exactly the correct amount in the A/C.

 

ok thanks, so I can install the compressor and just tell the mechanic what I did and have them put the oil and the freon correct?

thanks