AC rebuild kits (1 Viewer)

[Red Merle]

I need to fix my AC system up but I noticed that RockAuto no longer has those Denso compressors for less than $200 and I am wondering if there is a way to try to rebuild what I have. I disconnected the system by removing the belt last fall because it wouldn't hold refrigerant. I would shoot some in and it would blow ice cold for a few hours and then it would all leak out. The compressor was squealing quite a bit, so I assumed it was shot, but I would like to try to rebuild it before I blow a bunch of money on something I really only need a few days each summer.

I tried to do a search but all the threads are old and I can't seem to find any kits to rebuild by just googling it.

Any ideas?

 

[ZackR]

Before buying a compressor that you may or may not need find out where the system leaks first. Up until now I've never done AC work and I just finished getting mine all dialed in and blowing ice cold. At first I was a bit hesitant but very glad I ended up buying my own vacuum pump, manifold and gauges (cheap ones from amazon, worked great) to diagnose and repair the AC system. You'll also need a can tap valve that is compatible.

Once you have the manifold/gauge setup its easy to add UV dye to the system. In the yellow hose pour some dye and PAG oil in and connect it to a can of R134A (cheapest I could find with no "sealers"). The high and low pressure side valves on the manifold will be closed to start with. Start the engine, and begin filling the low pressure side (blue knob) with R134A. I like to keep the can upright and in a bath of warm water to keep it flowing. This will push the small amount of dye and oil into the system. Once you turn the AC on and there is enough R134A in the system the compressor clutch will engage to pressurize the system and spread the dye around.

Once you find the leak report back and we can go from there. You can PM me and I can help over the phone as well. I now realize that AC work isn't the black box I once thought it to be.

The filling process once the leak is repaired is not difficult but I can go into those details once we know what kind of leak you have.

 

[baldilocks]

In the spring of 2016 I installed the 4seasons compressor purchase from Rockauto. It fits perfectly, looks just like the denso and is doing the job very well.

 

[landtank]

I need to fix my AC system up but I noticed that RockAuto no longer has those Denso compressors for less than $200 and I am wondering if there is a way to try to rebuild what I have. I disconnected the system by removing the belt last fall because it wouldn't hold refrigerant. I would shoot some in and it would blow ice cold for a few hours and then it would all leak out. The compressor was squealing quite a bit, so I assumed it was shot, but I would like to try to rebuild it before I blow a bunch of money on something I really only need a few days each summer.

I tried to do a search but all the threads are old and I can't seem to find any kits to rebuild by just googling it.

Any ideas?

Bdfore i assime ghe compressor is gge problem i vacuum it down and confirm it is the issue. I have 2 of tbe top plates that i use for this in the for sale section. All you need to do is remove the factory plate, install this one and run the test. You donr even have to remove the conpressor from the engine

 

[Red Merle]

Alright, thanks Zack! I am not going to be able to get into this project for a few weeks as I am going out west. When i get back, I will get one of those kits and go from there. The kit seems worth it as I would likely spend at least that to have a shop do it and that still doesn't count any parts I may or may not need.

I will hit you up when I return if I need a hand.

 

[ranma21]

Or You can also loan the vacuum pump, gauge with hose from Autozone for FREE to do the job. That was what I did few years back when I refreshed my ac system by removing and cleaning the evaporator, replaced all the o ring seals, expansion valve and drier.

 

[Red Merle]

Or You can also loan the vacuum pump, gauge with hose from Autozone for FREE to do the job. That was what I did few years back when I refreshed my ac system by removing and cleaning the evaporator, replaced all the o ring seals, expansion valve and drier.

That occurred to me as well. I will ask around to see if any of the places have one I can use.

Did you take the compressor apart? I see the Denso one is back on RockAuto again, maybe I will just order that since I am pretty sure there are some issues with mine as it was squealing pretty bad and seemed kinda seized.

 

[baldilocks]

That occurred to me as well. I will ask around to see if any of the places have one I can use.

Did you take the compressor apart? I see the Denso one is back on RockAuto again, maybe I will just order that since I am pretty sure there are some issues with mine as it was squealing pretty bad and seemed kinda seized.

If your compressor has sustained internal damage, there is a very good chance that bits and pices of it (compressor shrapnel) has been sent down line.

 

[Red Merle]

If your compressor has sustained internal damage, there is a very good chance that bits and pices of it (compressor shrapnel) has been sent down line.

Yeah, I am wondering about that too. I also shot a can of Red Devil into it which claims to be OK for the vacuum machine, but I would rather flush the whole system out before I toss in several hundred dollars worth of parts, only to have them fail shortly thereafter. Can a person also flush their system without taking it to a shop?

So the full story is that when I bought the truck the compressor was squealing pretty bad and I could see that the belt was having trouble moving the pulley on it. The truck had sat for long periods of time over the course of the previous 14 years so I wasn't really surprised. I tried using a can of the refrigerant Zack posted and then it started moving much more freely and it ran ice cold for a day, but the refrigerant leaked out. I tried again with the Red Devil and it did seem to move much more freely and the squealing stopped, but it still ran out after sitting overnight. At that point I just removed the belt and moved onto more pressing needs.

I typically like to research and collect parts and get a plan together when I go to replace stuff, which is what I am doing now. I read somewhere on some old threads that you could get new innards for the compressors and rebuild them, they sounds cheap, like $25 cheap, so I figured it might be worth a shot to rebuild the original unit and save the $200 on that part, but still replace other parts as needed. I will admit that my only experience thus far with AC systems is adding more refrigerant, so I am a rookie. I am not even sure I fully understand how the systems work, at least not yet.

 

[ranma21]

That occurred to me as well. I will ask around to see if any of the places have one I can use.

Did you take the compressor apart? I see the Denso one is back on RockAuto again, maybe I will just order that since I am pretty sure there are some issues with mine as it was squealing pretty bad and seemed kinda seized.

I did not take my compressor apart, everything is working fine with my ac system. I did it for preventive maintenance. Your Ac compressor may work fine, check your compressor clutch, it could be the clutch. But if the compressor is shot, you need to flush your lines, evaporator and condenser to get all the debris out before installing your new compressor. Make sure to replace your drier and expansion valve too.

 

[Red Merle]

I did not take my compressor apart, everything is working fine with my ac system. I did it for preventive maintenance. Your Ac compressor may work fine, check your compressor clutch, it could be the clutch. But if the compressor is shot, you need to flush your lines, evaporator and condenser to get all the debris out before installing your new compressor. Make sure to replace your drier and expansion valve too.

How do you check the clutch? Is that what that tool @landtank was talking about does?

 

[baldilocks]

Everyone has there own way of dealing with situations. Here is mine: when I bought my early 93 (r12) the AC was not working and the PO could offer no info. Since I was planning to build and keep this 80 I just replaced every component in the system and changed it over to R134a.

I spent $550 on parts from Rockauto. The evaporator and condenser are Denso. The pump, receiver/drier, and expansion valve are 4seasons plus an Oring kit plus the toyota retrofit kit and a bottle of pag46 oil from autozone. I was in about $650.

I'm now done with AC component replacement, in thereory anyway.

I went this route because I had no clue as to what the actual problem was nor the overall state of the 23 year old system not to mention it needed to be converted anyway.

 

[ZackR]

I tried my local autozone for a loaner but it wasn't something they carried... hence the purchase. I initially thought I would be spending a few hundred in parts however it turns out my original condenser and evaporator were fine, I just needed a new expansion valve and the evaporator needed a deep cleaning (in the kitchen sink with the holes plugged using orange degreaser and hot water).

Before my final AC fill I had dye+ pag oil + refrigerant in the system and let it sit there under pressure for a week or so. The AC system would get slightly cold for a few minutes and then taper back to warm so I knew I'd be tearing it back apart, however this time period allowed the dye to work through the system and confirm the evaporator and condenser were ok. I did find dye where the condenser connected to the hard line that goes to the drier, so that O ring was replaced.

@Red Merle - it sounds like your compressor or clutch may be on its way out but you won't know for sure until you run some tests. The FSM gives a good breakdown of what different symptoms and high/low side pressures mean and helped me narrow it down to a bad expansion valve and likely air/water in the system. If you haven't cleaned the evaporator I highly recommend it, once its clean it will really help the efficiency of the system and allow for the "ice cold" temps we all seek on the hot days. It also allows you to replace the expansion valve which I highly recommend on an old system that hasn't been functional for some time (it can make or break the AC system and is cheap to replace).

Earlier this evening I ran an errand in the cruiser, it was about 80 degrees out and the AC system on full power made it uncomfortably cold, I was only going 30-40mph. Yesterday was closer to 90 degrees and on a 20 mile drive that goes from 4000' to 6500' @45mph I could get the same result, felt like an ice box on full power.

 

[Red Merle]

Thanks for the replies! I think I am going to take all of your advice and start with the testing procedures in the FSM before I actually buy anything. It sounds like even if I end up needing to replace everything, it won't be that bad and it's the last major project that I have to get the truck totally baselined and fully funtional. I have one other project ahead of this, but I just scored a new filler neck and skid plate for the gas tank, so I should still be on track to finish up before it starts getting cold again.

 

[maxamillion2345]

You can try and flush but if theres metal in the system its almost worth it to spend the 300$ on a new evap and condensor. You'll also need a big compressor for a LOT of air to flush at home. Like a lot of air.

 

[Red Merle]

You can try and flush but if theres metal in the system its almost worth it to spend the 300$ on a new evap and condensor. You'll also need a big compressor for a LOT of air to flush at home. Like a lot of air.

So they just flush with air? I wasn't sure if they ran some sort of cleaning agent through, but air makes sense. I have two 30 gallon compressors, but that might not give me enough oomph to get it cleaned out. Can I flush each piece separately if I get it all apart?


I guess I will have to take things apart a bit to see if I can notice any debris and if I find some, I guess I will have to just replace everything if I can't get it cleaned out. Either way, the price tag on the whole jalopy doesn't sound that bad.

 

[JeepinPete]

I just went through my system this weekend. Happy to report I have cold air now.

I tried charging the system a couple summers back. It leaked out pretty quick. So when I decided to give it another go this summer, I decided to replace the cheap parts. IOW, replaced all the o-rings ($14 kit), the receiver drier ($14), the expansion valve ($26) (since I was taking the evaporator out to replace orings). I also needed to replace the bearing in the AC clutch ($8 on ebay) and idler pulley ($7) as they were both shot.

Toyota really did a good job in designing the AC system for serviceability. I removed the grill and left headlight to get to the condensor and receiver drier respectively. The evaporator comes out as a module once the glove box is removed, and is easily broken down to get at the four orings inside.

In your shoes, I would start with replacing all the orings. They are 20+ years old, new ones are cheap, and it is easy to do. While you have the lines apart, you can inspect for debris from the compressor if it is indeed going bad. If you see any debris, replace/rebuild the compressor, flush all of the lines (there is a product out there specifically for this purpose), replace the expansion valve and receiver drier, and charge it up.

 

[maxamillion2345]

So they just flush with air? I wasn't sure if they ran some sort of cleaning agent through, but air makes sense. I have two 30 gallon compressors, but that might not give me enough oomph to get it cleaned out. Can I flush each piece separately if I get it all apart?


I guess I will have to take things apart a bit to see if I can notice any debris and if I find some, I guess I will have to just replace everything if I can't get it cleaned out. Either way, the price tag on the whole jalopy doesn't sound that bad.

You'll need to flush individually for sure. They flush with a flushing chem but youll need a lot of compressed air to push it all through and then get it ALL out. You'll also need a new txv and drier but theyre like 40$ combined at most for new denso units. You have to pull evap to pull txv and cannot flush through txv. I mean its pretty easy really and cheap to try flushing but if it was me and I found metal id be thinking really hard about replacing condensor and evap as youll see how hard it is to get all the flush chem out as it is. Id hate to have to replace compressor and txv and dried all again.

 

[Red Merle]

You'll need to flush individually for sure. They flush with a flushing chem but youll need a lot of compressed air to push it all through and then get it ALL out. You'll also need a new txv and drier but theyre like 40$ combined at most for new denso units. You have to pull evap to pull txv and cannot flush through txv. I mean its pretty easy really and cheap to try flushing but if it was me and I found metal id be thinking really hard about replacing condensor and evap as youll see how hard it is to get all the flush chem out as it is. Id hate to have to replace compressor and txv and dried all again.

Thanks for the clarification. I was planning on a new drier and expansion valve for sure and new o-rings. I will have to use my best judgement on the condenser and compressor, but I am leaning towards a new compressor for sure and if I see any debris, I will just do the condenser too.

 

[baldilocks]

I found this TSB to be helpful. You may not need to convert to R134a but here is info on oil and refrigerant volumes that you might find handy.

http://tms.cleanautoalliance.org/documents/ac002t98.pdf