Getting Ready to Replace A/C Compressor

As an update, I did tighten the compressor belt and that stopped the squealing, and for a while I thought I had a blocked expansion valve, but gauges told me it was just out of refrigerant. Crazy, that it all went out within a year, but I did run it all winter as well. Put some more refrigerant in it and it's good to go again - nice and cold.

The truck is rusty, old, and has problems - so what if i have to put a couple cans of R134a in once a year... beats not having a car payment!
 
hyken said:
As an update, I did tighten the compressor belt and that stopped the squealing, and for a while I thought I had a blocked expansion valve, but gauges told me it was just out of refrigerant. Crazy, that it all went out within a year, but I did run it all winter as well. Put some more refrigerant in it and it's good to go again - nice and cold.

The truck is rusty, old, and has problems - so what if i have to put a couple cans of R134a in once a year... beats not having a car payment!
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Nothing beats that. And $5 Wally World refrigerant per can. Didn't you and you dad run compressed air last summer to find the leak?
 
[MENTION=69868]LittleCaesar[/MENTION] see that's what is so baffling. It held a vacuum for over an hour - twice. My only guess is that maybe it's something with the low or high schrader valve? That's the only thing that changes from testing and filling to normal use.
 
hyken said:
[MENTION=69868]LittleCaesar[/MENTION] see that's what is so baffling. It held a vacuum for over an hour - twice. My only guess is that maybe it's something with the low or high schrader valve? That's the only thing that changes from testing and filling to normal use.
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That sounds like a big leak? Possibly from the cold as heck weather South Carolina got.in January? Maybe let it all go out in the fall and recheck with a vacuum....
 
hyken said:
[MENTION=69868]LittleCaesar[/MENTION] see that's what is so baffling. It held a vacuum for over an hour - twice. My only guess is that maybe it's something with the low or high schrader valve? That's the only thing that changes from testing and filling to normal use.
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It's possible to have a leak under pressure but not leak under vacuum, (or vise versa) which would probably indicate an oring.

I love my refrigerant sniffer. I'll use it to find the "area" then use soapy bubbles to isolate the leak. You can even put it in your vents and put your fan on low to see if your evaporator is leaking.
 
JRZEE2000TR4LTD said:
It's possible to have a leak under pressure but not leak under vacuum, (or vise versa) which would probably indicate an oring.

I love my refrigerant sniffer. I'll use it to find the "area" then use soapy bubbles to isolate the leak. You can even put it in your vents and put your fan on low to see if your evaporator is leaking.
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Interesting. I'll look into this... the evaporator and expansion valve are the only two components I didn't replace so I would bet I'm breathing in a nice dose of refrigerant as I chill off in comfort.
 
So quick update for this summer for future reference. I topped it out with refrigerant and it's been holding steady for almost 1 month and a half now. No clue why I have to recharge it every year, but I think you guys might be right about it leaking in some conditions and not in others. I usually run the AC in the winter too to help with defrosting. I'm betting that most of it all leaks out when the AC is on and the metal is cold enough to contract and leave the O-ring in the expansion valve with a bad seal. I'll try turning off the AC this winter so the expansion valve doesn't open.
 
John is right, it may leak under pressure but not under vacuum. I had an O ring roll up on me installing a new accumulator right after the evaporator on a GMC truck. The only fix was to remove the dash and put in a new evaporator since the threads on the evaporator had stripped. Not fun. At least removing such on the 3rd gen isn’t that hard if need be.
 
Hey, fellows, a quick question. I am replacing my a/c compressor and the new one I procured does not have the oil installed. It came in a separate bottle, with a note directing me to install the oil in the new compressor.

However, when I looked at the sticker under the hood to see how many fl oz or ml of oil to install, it says ND OIL 8. I have heard that this is roughly equivalent to PAG 46, which is the oil that came with the new compressor. However, I cannot tell how much to pour into the compressor.

Anyone have any ideas?

I did notice in the FSM it says to add 20 cc (.71 fl oz) if you replace the receiver (drier), and 40-50 cc if you replace the condenser or evaporator (which I am not doing). But nothing is mentioned about simply replacing the compressor itself.
 
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BamaDrewski said:
Check this out. It might be helpful.

DIY Complete AC Replacement on 2000 T4R Limited
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Thanks a million! That table showing 7 oz is the first place I have seen any specific amount of oil to put in the compressor after replacing, other than to put in the same amount that was in the old compressor.

One last question -- when you replace the drier, for example, do you put any oil directly into it, or not? Some of the stuff I've read seems to imply that.

Really appreciate you sharing your expertise. Thanks from your neighbor one state north!
 
pizzabob said:
Thanks a million! That table showing 7 oz is the first place I have seen any specific amount of oil to put in the compressor after replacing, other than to put in the same amount that was in the old compressor.

One last question -- when you replace the drier, for example, do you put any oil directly into it, or not? Some of the stuff I've read seems to imply that.

Really appreciate you sharing your expertise. Thanks from your neighbor one state north!
Click to expand...

You can add oil directly to the drier.
 
pizzabob said:
Thanks a million! That table showing 7 oz is the first place I have seen any specific amount of oil to put in the compressor after replacing, other than to put in the same amount that was in the old compressor.

One last question -- when you replace the drier, for example, do you put any oil directly into it, or not? Some of the stuff I've read seems to imply that.

Really appreciate you sharing your expertise. Thanks from your neighbor one state north!
Click to expand...

I WOULD NOT ADD OIL DIRECTLY TO THE DRIER! The oil will circulate through the system via the compressor. Also, I used "pre-dyed" oil so if there ever was a leak, it could be found easily. Also, make sure you use the correct PAG oil for the system. I did my complete system rebuild almost 6 years ago and no issues whatsoever. No leaks and still blows at 38 degrees on the coldest setting. Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Finally had time to complete the a/c work yesterday. Everything is working perfectly and wife couldn't be happier. Thanks to everyone who posts on here, sharing your wisdom and experience. It's greatly appreciated.
 
My Toyota suddenly started blowing hot air. I checked various forums to find out what my problem was. I had two suggestions either it needed refueling, or there was a leak somewhere in the system. At first, I thought the filters were dirty and changed them, but that didn't solve the problem. Finally, I was able to diagnose my problem-a leaking compressor-and I immediately tried to do self-repair. In the past, I had a bad experience with car repair shops that overcharged for similar aircon service. I coped perfectly with the replacement of the compressor and decided to spend the money saved on a high-quality R22. I was happy to find a reliable R22 supplier airconservicingsingapore.com to insure myself against further breakdowns.
 
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