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AC Compressor

3K views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  megamega 
#1 ·
Hello All,

About 6 weeks a go my AC cold was getting weaker so I thought I would be real smart and charge it up. Well right after that my compressor blew - started making noises then totally stopped. All charge was lost. :( Maybe I should have added oil, the gauge was showing under so I dont think I over charged it unless maybe a blockage was in there somewhere. So now it is getting warmer and warmer here in the south....better get it fixed...

Anyway the dealer told me the orifice line, compressor and accumulator need replacing and told me the price which use your imagination and you know what it was.

So being the wannabe DIY'er I am looking into doing this myself and also seeing that it might be a good idea to replace the condensor since it is a parrallel design and it cant be easily flushed. The dealer was probably trying to avoid having a cardiac situation so probably did not even bring that possibility up.

I looked into OEM parts online which although cheaper than the dealer, are still pricey but the aftermarket parts available at the local / national auto parts chain are pretty reasonably priced.

I am looking to buy the gauge manifold and vacuum tools at harbor freight and borrow a flush container from my local / national auto parts chain.

So after all this here is my question - and thank you for your patience if you read this far - does anyone have any recommendations to stay away from the aftermarket parts for the AC system - is fitment going to be an issue? If it is i figure i can just return the part to the local / national chain if it is, slight hassle that it is.

I figure that ac parts are pretty generic in quality fitment of the hoses are the only worry I have but is it misplaced? But also does the quality of compressors have a large variance between oem and aftermarket?

Thank you - you guys are the best - I got really good advice from you folks here in the past. Someday I hope I can be a contributor. I just have so much to learn!
 
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#2 ·
Spectra and AC Delco are pretty good and are usually what the chains sell. Just remember to use new o rings at every connection. A new condenser is a wise choice and a lot of times mandatory for warranty coverage along with the dryer and orifice tube. Check around online. You can usually find package deals that the local chains can't touch. Also when it's time to recharge do yourself a favor and have it done by a pro. You need to hook it up to the machine and pull a vacuum on it to get the air out or it will never be right. Also it's a quick way to check for leaks before you throw a wallet full of freon at it.
 
#3 ·
Thanks Dave! I am inclined to buy local in order to avoid the back and forth and waiting if I need to return anything due to quality issues.
So you think i will be ok handling the flushing of the evap, and discharge line, and then I install new parts (with the new o rings) and bring it to a shop to charge ? Is the charging really complicated? I do realize i need to pull a vacuum first to make sure everything is tight, and that part sounds like the trickiest with the charging. I will consider it because I really do not want the hassle and cost of having to redo anything!
 
#4 ·
Well i am happy to be able to say the repair was a success. I got a package deal on a compressor, orifice line, accumulator line, oil and gaskets for $500. I also got a new condenser. I figure all these parts are so generic, and just hopefully they will last a few years. I decided at the last minute to go ahead and change the discharge line because once I looked at it closely when it was removed the outside looked like it may have leaked so I did not want to chance it. After taking it to get evac'ed I flushed and blew out the evaporator with air. Then bolted all the parts in, taking care to add oil to the condenser, accumulator and compressor (i changed out the oil it came with). Once back together the shop evac'ed and charged the system and now I have cold air!

One thing I noticed was that the high pressure line bolts got loosened up on both ends, so I went and checked all bolts tightening them a bit more. Maybe the bolts got loosenede from driving around and getting charged, cause I am pretty sure I had tightened every bolt up.

This was a challenging project but I saved a lot of money and learned a lot.
 
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