ok, so my a/c hasnt worked for over a year. i never really wanted to fix it till now. when it was on its way out, i noticed that the compressor would cycle on and off then eventually it just quit completely. So a few months after that happened i had some time and i bought a recharge kit and some bottles of r 134a from walmart. i tried recharging it and the compressor kicked on for a few minutes and blew cold air, then the compressor locked up and it looked like all the freon was spraying out the back of it.

ok so thats what happened. now i want to fix it. i am pretty sure its not an electrical problem witht eh swith or relay because when i did add freon to it it kicked the compressor on then locked up. so i want to go ahead and replace the compressor with a new one or one from someone here on the board that works good and is cheaper than a new one. now i have searched on this forum and read like 50 threads on replacing the a/c compressor. many people have said to replace the drier and the orifice tube. and then flush the lines and condensor. here are my qustions how hard is it to replace the drier and orifice tube. i know wherte the drier is at and it looks pretty easy to replace there are two hard lines going to it that looked like it just has to be disconnected and replaced. where is the orifice tube, what does it look like? also will i have to replace the lines behind the a/c compressor or anywhere else? how do i flush the lines? what do i flush them with? how do i replace the compressor how hard is it? after i do replace the drier and orifice tube and the compressor i will take it to an a/c shop to have the system vaccuumed and refilled with freon. i want it done right. there shouldnt be any leaks after i replace the compressor right? i think it was leaking at the back of the comperssor so it should be the problem. please let me know on this guys. i always get help from you guys on the board. i want to save as much money as i can so i will be replaceing all the parts myself. then pay the shop to vaccum and recharge the system to get it workign again. also gmpartsdirect is down right now. how much would a new one cost or should i just buy from someone here on the board? i dont want to replace it with a used one then it crap out soon after. but i think someone said on here they are $400 from gm. thanks again.

 

go ahead and buy a new compressor. clean out the orifice tube and then pull vaccum on it for a couple hours. after that, see if it will hold vaccum or not. (a good shop with any recent r-134a machine will be able to do this on the machine.) if it holds vaccum, add freon and enjoy. replacing the compressor on our cars is kind of a PITA but it shouldn't be any logner than a good afternoon.

 

Replace the compressor and drier for sure. You don't have an orifice tube, it has an expansion valve. Most of the time you can get away with not replacing the expansion valve..just make sure you put a good, deep vacuum on it to get all moisture out of it.

 

so i just should replace the drier and compressor? when i do so wont all the pressure and freon thats left be coming out? will this hurt? also do i oil the compressor like i have read on here? or will a new one come preoiled with 8 ounces of oil? also do i have to flush the system out with alcohol? how exactly would i flush it out so it could cycle through the whole system? also after i replace the compressor, drier, can i just take it to the a/c shop and have them vaccuum it and then recharge it? that would be great? does anyone have any writeups on replaceing the a/c compressor?

 

You need to replace the drier and the compressor together. You should always take it to a shop to have them discharge the freon because if its still under pressure and happens to escape and get on you you will have to go the the hospital. Compressors don't come preoiled that i know of, usually you fill the drier with enough oil to replenish the oil lost. NEVER flush the system with alcohol, only liquid freon can be used or you will have to replace all you rubber pieces. You would need a special machine to flush the whole system, which any shop that does a/c work will have, and they will be able to vaccuum it and recharge it. I will try to get you the write up from the service manuel when i get the chance. I hope this helps.

 

so i need to have it discharged first before i even replace the drier and compressor? ho wmuch does that usually run? i was pretty sure that i thought you oil the compressor instead of the drier. the amount is 8 oz i believe that needs to go in the compressor.

so basically heres what i need to do in steps.

discharge with an a/c shop
replace compressor and drier
flsuh system with liquid freon through shop
vacccum whole system until completely dry of mositure with shop
recharge system with shop

is that correct? how much would this usually cost for the shop to do all they need to do and me replace the drier and compressor? yea the write up would be great thanks.

 

im interested as well since i am in the same situation, also how does moisture build up in a system that is sealed, since basically his only problem seemed to be the compressor locking up ??

 

yea the only thing that i think happened was that the compressor just locked up and when i tried to refill it with some freon, it kicked back on and then locked up and made a horrible sound as the freon spewed out the back of the compressor. i want to do this right though tso it will work good and last. i plan on keeping the car for a while, probably so i want to do it right.

 

if it was low on freon, then he had a leak, which can introduce moisture(and air) to the system, also, when he removes the parts, more moisture and air will be introduced

also, the other reason to vacuum the system, is to remove the air in it

 

ok i havent had time to get on my thread and post in a while but. i did more research on this board and i found out that basically what i should do is replace the drier, expansion valve, and compressor. after i do that then i take it to a shop to pull vaccuum on it to suck everything out and then have them add freon. does that sound right? also any more info on the service manual on how to replace the compressor, drier, and expansion valve?

wheres the cheapest place to buy a new ac delco compressor. gmpartsdirect has it for 400 i think and the expansion valve and drier are like 50 as well each. i would like to do this soon. thanks for the insight let me know.

 

If your compressor took a CR@P then you had best flush the system before you go putting all that good junk back on. That is best left to a professional since the flush is pretty caustic. Obviously due to replacing the compressor, the oil has to be replaced. New compressors do not come with oil in them. Oil amount is important.

Also any joint you touched should have it's sealing method replaced such as gaskets or O-rings. Particularly at the expansion valve. Last, be sure to pull a vacuum for a sufficient amount of time. The higher the humidity, the longer the vac should RUN. I feel 3 hours is not TOO LONG. I don't mean pull a vacuum for 30 minutes and then shut the pump off and let it sit with vacuum for 3 hours. I mean run the vacuum pump for 3 hours.

 

so to flush it then dont i just take it to the shop to have it pulled vaccum and suck all the old freon if theres any left and whatever else junk is in there out? then put the compressor expansion valve and drier on. then have vaccuum pulled? where do i get all the o rings and gaskets for it? is there a kit i can get with the right ones? after i do all that and vaccuum is pulled, then fill with freon? i am going to have a shop do the flush, vaccuum, and fill with freon. so if its not that hard to replace the drier expansion valve and compressor i will do that. how much does it usually cost to have a shop do those things. hopefully that is all i have to do is to replace compressor drier and expansion valve and then have a shop flush vaccuum and fill. wheres the cheapest to get the compressor, drier, and expansion valve from? gmpartsdirect seems pretty high especially with the shipping.

 

any more ideas?

 

Flushing and the evacution procedure are two different things. I flushed mine myself on the recommendation of a nearby local shop and guys on here when I was going through this. I removed all the parts I would be replacing (compressor, drier, expansion valve) and then used brake cleaner as a flush in the lines, evaporator and condenser and blew them out w/ my air compressor. The brake cleaner is supposed to be safe on the any rubber in the system, and it dries/evaporates very quickly. Spray some cleaner in and flush it w/ air and repeat until it comes out clean/clear on each line/part you're flushing. Seemed to work well (not making a huge mess is tricky, is ended up using stuff like empty 1 and 2 liter soda bottles and similar as catch cans to slip over the opposite end of the lines I was flushing to catch the fluid and air and such to prevent it from spraying all over)

Then I installed the new parts, I added PAG oil to the compressor and drier before assembly (about 4 oz in the compressor, 2 in the drier) and then put the remaining 2 oz for a full charge in the lines/evap/condenser as best I could. I then sealed it up and pulled a vacuum on it w/ a air compressor operated venturi vacuum pump that Harbor Freight sells. Oh and I should add here you'll want to buy a o-ring seal kit (around $6-$10 at a local parts store) and use all new seals on everything. Filled the system w/ refriderant (2lbs I think it is which is 2.6 12 oz cans by my math) and everything worked great for a month. Now all the above has a big caveat, see below.

I went with a rebuilt compressor from Advance Auto Parts ($200), and I don't know if I got a bum compressor or this flushing method didn't work as well as some suggested, but something bit the dust after a month of it working perfectly, I was not able to really ascertain exactly what happened. It originally looked like it was low on refridgerant and was just a leak somewhere, but I don't believe that was the problem after working on it for a couple days, I have a post about it floating around. Anyway, I've just today finished up starting from scratch (all new parts under warranty from Advance, 1yr warranty if you buy/install all 3 major items together), flushed it again, pulled a vacuum on it, and filled her up. Works great for now, we'll see if last time was a fluke or if something is flawed in my procedure for doing this...

 

i dont think anyone has answered this yet but where is the cheapest place to buy a new compressor drier and expansion valve? gm partsdirect had it for like 400 something. is that the cheapest?