Jus found out my compressor went and the dealer is charging me 1300 for the job...yea ok lol I got the compressor and I'm doin it myself...I do most of my mechanic work but being I never did a compressor I need some help...
how do i remove my a/c compressor?
- Thread starter kmurda456
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TNsilverLS
Active LVC Member
I would just take it to a shop but in general its a fairly expensive job. It involves flushing the system and a bunch of specialized tools. Installed wrong and you could seize up the new one. I also believe that for someone to handle freon without being licensed is illegal, whether or not that stops you.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
$1300 is a very good price if they are going to do all of the stuff that is required to keep the contamination from the failed compressor from killing the new compressor.
If your alternate plan is to just replace the compressor, then you will be wasting your time and money.
If your alternate plan is to just replace the compressor, then you will be wasting your time and money.
1LoudLS
Dedicated LVC Member
this is the tricky part that is not easy to do at home with basic tools
Jim Henderson
Dedicated LVC Member
Search around. Some independent shops will use your parts and charge a lot less.
A guy here at work has a Honda CRV with a dead compressor. Dealer charge is $1600 and up. Most big shops are $1200 and up , but we bought the parts and a local indpendent shop installed it all, flushed system and charged it etc for something like $400.
Shop around.
Jim Henderson
A guy here at work has a Honda CRV with a dead compressor. Dealer charge is $1600 and up. Most big shops are $1200 and up , but we bought the parts and a local indpendent shop installed it all, flushed system and charged it etc for something like $400.
Shop around.
Jim Henderson
Lincoln Jealous
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just let the gas out, and remove it, install a new one, then goto a shop and tell them you want to vacuum/charge your system, youll only pay maybe 300 total, worse comes to worse, when they go to vacuum the system, they may say you need to replace an additional part of the system to assure it wont fail,
take off the drivers wheel, youll see the compressor, its 4 bolts, first you have to take of the belt, loosen the tensioner, there's one bolt holding in the manifold for the coolant lines, be sure to let the gas escape first, check the rubber gaskets, the top right bolt needs to be removed from above the car, move the power steering reservoir away, the bolt is close to the bottom of the valve cover
take off the drivers wheel, youll see the compressor, its 4 bolts, first you have to take of the belt, loosen the tensioner, there's one bolt holding in the manifold for the coolant lines, be sure to let the gas escape first, check the rubber gaskets, the top right bolt needs to be removed from above the car, move the power steering reservoir away, the bolt is close to the bottom of the valve cover
1LoudLS
Dedicated LVC Member
if there where small shavings of metal from the compressor that got into the rest of the system, it will just destroy the new compressor, costing him more money than just having the shop do it the first time (price of compressor he has, then price of new compressor to replace the newly ruined compressor and the labor to do the job)
Lincoln Jealous
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i agree, but for the quick cheap fix, most of the reason the compressor fails is the clutch/pulley part, if you catch it early, the internals shouldnt be ruined yet
1LoudLS
Dedicated LVC Member
yes you could, but a lot of the time, people run them with out any refrigerant in it (which also has the oil) and it doesn't take too long for the insides to grind themselves to nothing and then you have tons of little metal shavings in the entire system, this is where having the system repaired properly is critical
cars have had low pressure switches in the A/C system for a long time. so the compressor will not kick on if the charge is low. im new to the LS but this is something all cars have. you defiantly want to flush out the lines and change the orifice tube. the orifice tube is just a filter. get a cheap flush kit like this http://www.jcwhitney.com/flush/p2002878.jcwx?filterid=c2283j1 its as easy as blowing up a pool floaty. replace all the o rings and you will be good to go. its really not hard to do.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
A common compressor failure mode for the LS is for the compressor to leak from the lower part of the seal where the two halves of the compressor go together. When this happens, the compressor oil leaks out before the R-134a does. Therefore it is far from unheard of for the compressor to come apart before enough R-134a has escaped to cause the low pressure cutoff to activate.
The LS does not have an orifice tube. It has a thermal expansion valve. Also, orifice tubes are not filters. They are a fixed restriction (an expansion valve is a variable restriction) that separates the high pressure liquid from the low pressure gas.
Lastly, note that the AC compressor on the LS is a variable displacement type. Have fun using that easy flush kit. It'll only cost you the new compressor.
1LoudLS
Dedicated LVC Member
can you drink it also
sounds like the real problem would be someone continuing to recharge the system with out adding oil with this leak. i just cant rap my little mind around a leak that could let out the oil and not the pressurized refrigerant.
OK still learning, but if i did have an orifice tube it would act like a filter. it even looks like a filter. but it doesn't.
pleas explain. again my little mind cant understand how flushing the A/C system would hurt the new compressor. or why it would mater what type of compressor it is as its not even in the picture when the flush is performed.
its best when mixed with vodka. its kinda like red bull
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Flushing will not hurt the compressor.
Not flushing very completely and very well will. Those quick and easy just use a bottle of flush kits aren't good enough. Even many professional AC shops have to replace most of the AC system because they don't have good enough equipment to get the system fully flushed. Only the high end shops and the dealers do.
As for the orifice or expansion valve not being a filter, I suggest you read up on the theory of the refrigerant cycle. I don't think you are understanding what either of these parts achieve. They make no attempt to block particles (filter). They do meter refrigerant from the high side to the low side. You have to have some sort of restriction between the two sides, or you would just have one medium side.
On the high side, refrigerant is pressurized to force it to go from being a gas to being a liquid. When it does this, it throws off a lot of heat. This happens in the condenser, which is in front of the radiator.
The liquid refrigerant travels to the expansion valve. This valve opens bigger or smaller depending on how cold the evaporator is. If it not used and an orifice tube is used instead, the concept would be the same, the opening size just wouldn't vary. On the other side of the expansion valve is low pressure. Once the liquid refrigerant is past the valve and into the low pressure evaporator, it wants to turn into a gas. When it does this, it adsorbs lots of heat.
From the evaporator, the refrigerant gas travels to the compressor. The compressor pumps the low pressure gas back up to a high pressure. It then goes to the condenser where it looses a lot of heat and becomes a liquid. From there it goes to the expansion valve where...
The expansion valve varies the amount of refrigerant that it lets through based on the temperature of the evaporator. The colder it gets, the less it lets through. The less it lets through, the higher the high side pressure gets and the lower the low side pressure gets. This causes the variable displacement compressor to reduce it's displacement and pump less refrigerant. This makes the system more efficient as it only pumps as much as it needs to.
You're not understanding the way the oil leaks out of the compressor. The oil sits in the bottom of the crankcase of the compressor all the time. The oil is heavier than the refrigerant. Since the leak is on the bottom, only oil leaks out. Only after most of the oil is gone does any refrigerant start to leak out.
BTW, it's still not legal to vent R-134a. It's just not as illegal as venting R-12 or R-22 is.
Not flushing very completely and very well will. Those quick and easy just use a bottle of flush kits aren't good enough. Even many professional AC shops have to replace most of the AC system because they don't have good enough equipment to get the system fully flushed. Only the high end shops and the dealers do.
As for the orifice or expansion valve not being a filter, I suggest you read up on the theory of the refrigerant cycle. I don't think you are understanding what either of these parts achieve. They make no attempt to block particles (filter). They do meter refrigerant from the high side to the low side. You have to have some sort of restriction between the two sides, or you would just have one medium side.
On the high side, refrigerant is pressurized to force it to go from being a gas to being a liquid. When it does this, it throws off a lot of heat. This happens in the condenser, which is in front of the radiator.
The liquid refrigerant travels to the expansion valve. This valve opens bigger or smaller depending on how cold the evaporator is. If it not used and an orifice tube is used instead, the concept would be the same, the opening size just wouldn't vary. On the other side of the expansion valve is low pressure. Once the liquid refrigerant is past the valve and into the low pressure evaporator, it wants to turn into a gas. When it does this, it adsorbs lots of heat.
From the evaporator, the refrigerant gas travels to the compressor. The compressor pumps the low pressure gas back up to a high pressure. It then goes to the condenser where it looses a lot of heat and becomes a liquid. From there it goes to the expansion valve where...
The expansion valve varies the amount of refrigerant that it lets through based on the temperature of the evaporator. The colder it gets, the less it lets through. The less it lets through, the higher the high side pressure gets and the lower the low side pressure gets. This causes the variable displacement compressor to reduce it's displacement and pump less refrigerant. This makes the system more efficient as it only pumps as much as it needs to.
You're not understanding the way the oil leaks out of the compressor. The oil sits in the bottom of the crankcase of the compressor all the time. The oil is heavier than the refrigerant. Since the leak is on the bottom, only oil leaks out. Only after most of the oil is gone does any refrigerant start to leak out.
BTW, it's still not legal to vent R-134a. It's just not as illegal as venting R-12 or R-22 is.
rt2barbers
Active LVC Member
Great post, Joe! This orifice/filter thing may have been created by the fact that metering devices, orifices or TXVs, typically have integral screens not intended to fundamentally filter but to "screen" anything that may have escaped capture by the filter-drier before it plugs the metering ports.
The LS does have a liquid line filter-drier that should go a long way in capturing failed compressor debris before it moves to the orifice and low side.
Again, I appreciate the help that you guys give. Technical repair info on these new cars is just not readily available like in the "old days".
The LS does have a liquid line filter-drier that should go a long way in capturing failed compressor debris before it moves to the orifice and low side.
Again, I appreciate the help that you guys give. Technical repair info on these new cars is just not readily available like in the "old days".
LS_Owner
LVC Member
Took my 02 LS to the shop today to check the A/C. It usually blows hot if the outside temp is > 90. Or it works when it wants to very frustrating. The mechanic said the compressor was shot and it would cost $1300 to repair (as stated in the initial post of this thread).
Recently my car has been overheating (after researching on LVC this could be a result of the compressor as well??) and I was wondering if the thermostat needs to be replaced too. If I replaced the thermostat could this correct the issue w/ the AC? Or is this problem all about the compressor? Can anyone confirm???
Recently my car has been overheating (after researching on LVC this could be a result of the compressor as well??) and I was wondering if the thermostat needs to be replaced too. If I replaced the thermostat could this correct the issue w/ the AC? Or is this problem all about the compressor? Can anyone confirm???
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Your engine overheat problems are probably separate from your AC problems. Personally, I would diagnose and fix the overheat problem(s) before attacking the AC. Please note that the PCM will turn the AC compressor off when the engine starts to overheat. That might be the only reason you are have AC problems.
Also, before condemning the AC compressor, pinch off all three heater hoses and see if the problem goes away. If it does, then you need a DCCV, not a compressor. If it still doesn't cool, then the compressor diagnosis is probably correct.
For the overheating, there seem to be two common issues with the gen I, the hydraulic cooling fan (usually the solenoid) and the degas bottle cracking. Search the forums to get info on both issues.
Quik LS
Dedicated LVC Member
and the overheating - if it's fan related - could be a cause of your AC issue since the fan is needed.
The compressor is tough to get off the car - there are two blind bolts that are at the top of the compressor - one behind the coolant manifold on the compressor - it took all my extensions, u-joints, and some swearing to get them.
Is your AC clutch coming on at all? if the clutch is engaging, but not spinning the compressor - you may just have a worn clutch (which was my issue) and you can replace that yourself.
If the clutch is not coming on, and the fuses are ok, then maybe it's a low pressure issue - which you can test by shorting across the presure switch - it the clutch engages then you know it's low pressure.
The compressor is tough to get off the car - there are two blind bolts that are at the top of the compressor - one behind the coolant manifold on the compressor - it took all my extensions, u-joints, and some swearing to get them.
Is your AC clutch coming on at all? if the clutch is engaging, but not spinning the compressor - you may just have a worn clutch (which was my issue) and you can replace that yourself.
If the clutch is not coming on, and the fuses are ok, then maybe it's a low pressure issue - which you can test by shorting across the presure switch - it the clutch engages then you know it's low pressure.
LS_Owner
LVC Member
Sometimes the A/C works great and sometimes not at all (blowing only hot air). It seems like a fan issue but this is the first time I have had an overheating issue along with my A/C. My a/c has done this numerous times before without an overheating issue to accompany it which makes me think this issue is unrelated. I guess I will check the fan issue first and go from there.
LS_Owner
LVC Member
Replaced thermostat today and engine is overheating once again. I searched some posts and I saw some comments stating I would need 2 gallons of coolant but it only took a gallon initially. But my degas appears empty now. When my car was overheating I safely removed the degas cap and the coolant began to overflow from the degas. Where did the coolant go? Should I add more? Or do I have a much more serious issue?
oddball
Dedicated LVC Member
Coolant didn't go anywhere. Sounds like you didn't fill and bleed the system properly. Granted, it's tough. I messed around with mine three or four times before I got comfortable with it.
You absolutely have air in there now! My tweak to the bleed procedure is to just leave the header bleed open quite a lot. I probably drain four cups or so through the bleed to try to encourage any bubbles to flow out. I also park facing downhill on a slight grade. Get the heater core and degas bottle above the engine so the air heads that way. If you are facing uphill it will be very difficult.
Engine coolant systems are pressurized, which improves the cooling capability of the fluid quite a bit over unpressurized fluid.
When I drain'n'fill my '02 v8 it's about a gallon. I can get a bit more out by pulling a few hoses off the DCCV. Note that the spec for the whole system is three gallons - take that into consideration when making your mix to put in the engine.
Always fill the degas bottle to the max line with the system *cold*.
Pay heed to Joegr's hints about the dccv! Go get a few hose clamps from the part store and block off the heater lines (all three!). Quick and easy test.
If you have refrigerant gauges, it's easy to do some simple testing on the a/c. It's even easier to double check that the clutch is engaging. If it's not, it's either the pcm preventing it, or a failure of the clutch.
You absolutely have air in there now! My tweak to the bleed procedure is to just leave the header bleed open quite a lot. I probably drain four cups or so through the bleed to try to encourage any bubbles to flow out. I also park facing downhill on a slight grade. Get the heater core and degas bottle above the engine so the air heads that way. If you are facing uphill it will be very difficult.
Engine coolant systems are pressurized, which improves the cooling capability of the fluid quite a bit over unpressurized fluid.
When I drain'n'fill my '02 v8 it's about a gallon. I can get a bit more out by pulling a few hoses off the DCCV. Note that the spec for the whole system is three gallons - take that into consideration when making your mix to put in the engine.
Always fill the degas bottle to the max line with the system *cold*.
Pay heed to Joegr's hints about the dccv! Go get a few hose clamps from the part store and block off the heater lines (all three!). Quick and easy test.
If you have refrigerant gauges, it's easy to do some simple testing on the a/c. It's even easier to double check that the clutch is engaging. If it's not, it's either the pcm preventing it, or a failure of the clutch.
How difficult of a job is replacing only the clutch? Do I need to take off the compressor or is this some thing I can do under the car?
Is it reasonable only to change out the clutch and not the compressor if only the clutch is bad? The compressor doesn't show any signs of leaking or failing.