The dealership said the ac compressor was leaking oil and needs to be replaced. The question is do they leak oil or could it something else leaking in that area? Also they want 1350 dollars to replace the compressor. Is that a fair price?

 

Ask them to send out yours to be rebuilt.It will be less money.If they say it's leaking (and)then if you don't trust them , go somewhere else.

 

It is going to be expensive. They have to take the water pump off to take the compressor off. I had mine done for about 900 bucks.

 

Depending on the leak source I would question whether the compressor needs to be replaced. If it's leaking on the back side perhaps just the seals that connect the hoses to the back of the compressor need replacing. If there is a leak at the front of the compressor than it would need to be rebuilt or replaced.

 

Is there a writeup on how to replace the compressor? I'm thinking of doing it this weekend. I don't have a vacuum, so should I go get it vacuumed out by a shop prior to removal of the compressor?

 

You don't have to take the waterpump off to change out the AC Pump? It is on the passenger side. You might have to pull the hoses off...but not the waterpump.

The hardest part about removing the AC Compressor is the funky bolts that they use, both times I have had the AC Pump off, it was the AC Pump bolts that are difficult to get at and remove.

 

The AC system is a funny system! On some C5's it will work forever without one lick of a problem!! Neither of my C5's or even my C4 170K miles had any issues!!! (knock on fiberglass! )

There are seals on the compressor that can leak. Most seals (input shaft seal) do leak some oil and some freon! It is perfectly normal!!!!

If yours leaks a significant amount, then I would say you have an issue and the system needs to be repaired. There are procedures to repair/replace the seal and it isnt difficule for the trained AC Tech! I WOULD NOT recommend this procedure to the everyday normal C5 guy!

As for replacing your own compressor, it is a very straight forward mechanical replacement. The difficult part is all of the things that you DONT know about that needs to happen prior to and after the compressor is installed and it also takes some special tools/equipment!!
You can however replace all of the stuff that needs to be replaced and add the oil your self (as per the GM Shop Manual) and have an AC repair facility vacuum the system out and recharge it. t doing all of the labor would save you a LOT of cash!!

There is refridgerent oil that needs to be added, receiver/dryer needs to be replaced, orface tube should be replaced, many O rings need to be replaced, and the system need to be vacummed out and recharged with the exact amount of r134 a.

Yea,, there will be someone who jumps in and will say that they replaced their own compressor and didnt do any thing special!

When the moisture in his/her system starts to turn into an acid and pin hole leaks start showing up in the evaperator and condensor and money starts flowing out of his wallet, he wont chime in and admit that he should have done the job the correct way!

I'm the first one to try to save a buck here or there but, the AC system needs to be repaired the right way the first time!!!!

If I were you, I would get a second opinion!!! Is your system not working at all or did they just pull this observation out of their A$$

It is common for the AC system to require a recharge every so often. You can also see some oil around the compressor and that would be normal. Some systems need it more often than others. If yours has a very slow leak, it most likely just needs a recharge and if there is a small amount of oil on the compressor, the person who recharges it, can throw in an oil charge.


SECOND OPINION!!!!!!!!!!!

r/ Bill curlee

 

Yeah I will jump in and finish up how easy it is and that I didn't do anything special. But then again I have ripped apart both of my cars and made them into something very special. So no big deal when it comes to the AC pump I guess.

Buy a Vacuum and AC manifold recharge kit, complete with hi side and low side hoses from Harbour Freight...I don't consider $100 expensive, buy 1 can of Refrigerant Oil and 3 cans of RU134 about $14 at walmart per can. This is assuming your system is has been opened...which is what will happen if you take the AC pump off.

Then follow the instructions..I think maybe even a monkey can read the numbers or language on the dial.

My system has been completely disconnected and vented to atmosphere...I never had to replace the dryer as some suggested...just evacuated the whole syste with a vacuumm and recharged it...plain and simple.

If you don't have anything leaking then you don't have to worry about replacing the AC pump...if you do then you need to replace it...it is not that hard.

The hardest thing about recharging the system is reading the instructions..but becareful FREON can cause frost bite. Where some eye protection at a minimum.

 

When the one on my '98 went out I bought one used here on the forum and installed it in about two hours, all for about $200.00 total..

 

Bill, thanks for the great info!

Should the vacuum be done prior to removing the compressor? Or after the new compressor has been installed?

Is there acid in the A/C system?

Shinobi, awesome info also!

Does the vacuum and AC manifold recharge kit run off of an air compressor? Or is does it just plug into the wall socket?

Would you recommend replacing the orifice tube? Anyone know the pricing on both the orifice tube and acumulator/dryer?

 

Does the drier need to be replaced if you never had an open line (other than during replacment)?

 

A vacuum pump is used after the stsyem is back together and sealed back up. It is used to suck out all of the non condensable gasses (air) and moisture. The reciever dryer has a desacent bag in it that is used to remove any and all moisture in the system that the vacuum process couldnt remove. The acids form when the water/moisture mixes with the freon and oil.

As for replacing the receiver dryer, if the system is only opened up for a short period of time, and excessive moisture should not be too much of a concern and the old one should work. If your just installing a NEW compressor and you are absolutly sure that there isnt any trash in the system that too can be resused. Yea you can do it on the cheep but more people screw stuff up than not! I learned by the expensive method many years ago on one of my first cars "if it doesct cool, pump R12 into it until it does" ) That made tefelon mince meat out of the compressor rings! The orface tube was clogged!

I believe that you probably dont need to replace the compressor but just service the system and fix what is wrong with it. The recharge kit is a pressureized can or R-134 that hooks up to the suction side of the compressor. The freon will be sucked into the system. MAKE SURE that the can remains UP-RIGHT so that only gas enters the suction side and not liquid (can up side down ) or you may damage the system! You can put the can (up-right) in a bucket of very warm water to speed up the refill process.

Bill

 

Awesome info! The reason I was thinking of doing a vacuum prior to removing the bad compressor, is because I want to make sure to get the ground metal and 'junk' out of the system first. So you say just a vacuum after everything is put back together is safe enough?

 

Hold on there big fellow!! Vacuuming out the system ONLY removes AIR! If you have trees, and small amimals in there,, your in BIG TROUBLE!!!!

You will need to disassemble all kinds of stuff and flush out the entire system with an R-134 approved flush. Then you WILL need to add an approved oil to the system. replace the reciever/dryer ect ect.... Man your in WAY over your head! Get some help from someone who has done this before. This is WAY deeper than it should be.

BC

 

The side of the can says to do it upside down. I did my volvo and even the directions said to put it upside down. I assumed you wanted the Freon liquid in there instead of the gas.

I did this and my new (used) compressor started to leak around the body just like the old one. Did I blow it up?

 

How much vacuum is needed before re-charging the system?

 

You need to draw down the system for a good 2-3 hours at as close to 30" of vacuum as possible. When you draw down the system in that much vacuum, you flash any moisture off and remove any non condenseable gasses. The moisture removal is important because the moisture in the system turns into a corrosive liquid and causes the aluminum to develope pin hole leaks. As the leaks in the evaporator and condensor develope so will the leaks in your wallet! The non condenseable gasses cause the system to become less efficient.

If your system has been opened for some time or exposed to moisture, it is recommended that the receiver dryer be replaced. It contains a bag of desicant which helps remove any moisture that may not have been removed in the vacuum process.

Everytime one of these AC repair post get posted, someone will reply with a post that says he never did any of what is posted here and his AC system is working fine! Yea,, it happens but, I have two questions:

What is fine and how long will it work?

All I am trying to do is let you know the correct method of AC repair. I am NOT an AC technician but have read the GM service manuals, researched numerous AC Repair and AC training manuals, had my own school of hard knocks and successufly repaired quite a few AC Systems.


Hope this info helps.

BC

 

Sometimes this is best left to the people who do it all the time.

 

Bill thanks much. I've read all the posts on this the search function would pull up and nobody mentioned an actual Vac amount or time frame. Here's what's up, I need to swap out an AC hose to install a TT and the system will be opened for only a few minutes. Just long enough to R&R the hose on the compressor. Then I'll need it recharged. What I've decided to do is have a shop empty it, I'll drive home and change the part and go back for a refill. I'll know to set some extra time aside to let them vac it out. By the time I buy or rent some equiptment and screw things up It'll end up costing so much more.

IQ

 

I had mine replaced in October.
Because the space is so tight and other parts need to come out. I did not have the time to do it myself. I chose to take it to a local shop club members recommend.
Contrary to popular belief either the water pump or the rad or the exhaust manifld need to be removed to get the compressor out.
A reliable shop should give you credit for the refridegerant in the system that they can recycle.
My bill was $475. $275 was labor, including top up refridgerant i provided the replacement A/C compressor which I bought used off a forum member.
An additonal $250 would have bought a new AC Delco unit form an autoparts store.