I think I read you have to drop the drive shaft to replace? How big a deal to DIY?
Dealer says I need new A/C compressor...
- Thread starter jaymcburney
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What's wrong with the compressor? Bad O-rings or lack of compression?
Did you check the compression?
My car (toyota) has 265K miles and still OEM compressor/ factory freon R-12. We had 95 F (35ish Celsius) today and it blew -2 Celsius from the vents.
These compressors hardly fail.
Did you check the compression?
My car (toyota) has 265K miles and still OEM compressor/ factory freon R-12. We had 95 F (35ish Celsius) today and it blew -2 Celsius from the vents.
These compressors hardly fail.
No, you don't have to remove the drive shaft. The two long front bolts aren't too bad. You access them from the side. They actually are part of the fan bracket, long extensions are your friend.
The rear bolt will make you loose your mind. Its totally doable, its just awkward and you have to access it from the rear; mixed with a kind of hugging the wheel well. The low and high side come off pretty easy, same for the plugs.
I did mine as part of of my timing belt service, so you'll have to remove the serpentine belt, maybe the fan shroud. PITA job, but worth doing yourself.
I snagged the Denson unit off Amazon for $200. O-Ring kit was about $10 (replace as many as you can). Rent a Gauge Tree and Vacuum Pump from Autozone. Handful of R-134a cans from Walmart at $4 a pop will get you where you need to be.
I bought a sniffer, pump, gauge tree, R134a can hose, compressor, orings, and r134a all for about $330-$350 installed.
The clutch can go bad, so there is also info on how to replace that, which can be more of a budget solution. Moral of the story, DIY replable; but your gonna swear a bunch.
The rear bolt will make you loose your mind. Its totally doable, its just awkward and you have to access it from the rear; mixed with a kind of hugging the wheel well. The low and high side come off pretty easy, same for the plugs.
I did mine as part of of my timing belt service, so you'll have to remove the serpentine belt, maybe the fan shroud. PITA job, but worth doing yourself.
I snagged the Denson unit off Amazon for $200. O-Ring kit was about $10 (replace as many as you can). Rent a Gauge Tree and Vacuum Pump from Autozone. Handful of R-134a cans from Walmart at $4 a pop will get you where you need to be.
I bought a sniffer, pump, gauge tree, R134a can hose, compressor, orings, and r134a all for about $330-$350 installed.
The clutch can go bad, so there is also info on how to replace that, which can be more of a budget solution. Moral of the story, DIY replable; but your gonna swear a bunch.
fooldall1
Handy Enthusiast
Do yourself a favor and also replace the receiver/dryer when replacing the compressor. Make sure if those lines are open while you work that you cap the ends with duct tape to prevent moisture/humidity from entering the system (like we have here in FL).
