epricedright Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 A few questions if you don't mind: 1. How hard is it to R&R the compressor, are the fittings hard to get to? 2. Will regular wrenches get the lines off ok or do I need to use line wrenches? 3. Will the new/rebuilt ACDelco compressor come with the O rings I'll need to do the swap, or will I need to buy those? 4. Will I need to add oil to the compressor before installing, or do they normaly come with the oil in there already? 5. Is it ok to drive it with the new compressor in place, but without a charge? I will need to drive it to an AC shop to have it charged. If I don't get it charged right away, will I risk damaging the compressor by driving the car? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 yes the car can be driven with no charge. the computer will not let the clutch engage since it will detect a low charge condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 The compressor R&R isn't that bad of a job. The only lines you would be disconnecting would be the manifold block at the back of the compressor - that is usually just one bolt. I would have universal joints and assorted extensions handy though. You will need to drain the old oil out of the old compressor - measure the quantity and if there is 1 oz. or less, add two ozs. of PAG-150 oil o the suction port of the new compressor. If more than one oz. comes out, add the same amount to the new compressor. R-134a compressors are typically shipped dry as the oil is hydroscopic. If the unit you buy has oil in it, drain it and add back the amount based on what you drain out of the old compressor. Most compressors come with new washers for the manifold fitting - if they don't , they are available at most decent auto parts stores. As joeb said, the compressor won't engage without a refrigerant charge. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 The compressor R&R isn't that bad of a job. The only lines you would be disconnecting would be the manifold block at the back of the compressor - that is usually just one bolt. I would have universal joints and assorted extensions handy though. You will need to drain the old oil out of the old compressor - measure the quantity and if there is 1 oz. or less, add two ozs. of PAG-150 oil o the suction port of the new compressor. If more than one oz. comes out, add the same amount to the new compressor. R-134a compressors are typically shipped dry as the oil is hydroscopic. If the unit you buy has oil in it, drain it and add back the amount based on what you drain out of the old compressor. Most compressors come with new washers for the manifold fitting - if they don't , they are available at most decent auto parts stores. As joeb said, the compressor won't engage without a refrigerant charge. Thanks Kevin! So after I take it to an AC shop and have the refridgerant evacuuated, there will be oil left in the compressor. Will that oil be the only oil that will be added back to the system, no other oil necessary when they do the recharge? How can I identify which side is the suction side on the new compressor? How much would be a fair price to pay to have my system evacuuated and recharged? Should I also change out my accumulator/drier, and orifice tube? If so, do those normally come with the necessary O rings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 what is the problem with your system? a compressor with a bad shaft seal is a different failure than one that pukes it guts into the rest of the system. if there is no debris in the system than you can usually get away with an evac and recharge. $200 or so with NO other parts. anytime you start replacing parts besides the compressor you provided than the cost can go out of sight. the garage will do what you tell them to do. if they evac/recharge it and it does not work, than what? check out autoacforum.com. interesting a/c website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 what is the problem with your system? a compressor with a bad shaft seal is a different failure than one that pukes it guts into the rest of the system. if there is no debris in the system than you can usually get away with an evac and recharge. $200 or so with NO other parts. anytime you start replacing parts besides the compressor you provided than the cost can go out of sight. the garage will do what you tell them to do. if they evac/recharge it and it does not work, than what? check out autoacforum.com. interesting a/c website. This winter, I replaced my pulley/bearing assembly and clutch plate and broke the shaft end off the compressor, so I cannot adjust the air gap to make the compressor work. The AC worked fine before changing the clutch plate. I was planning on replacing the accumulator and orifice tube, only IF needed, myself. If after recharging, and it didn't work, then I would want to know why. The compressor, wherever I buy it, will have a warranty. So are you suggesting I pay the AC shop to do the whole repair? I'm afraid I won't be able to justify the costs, being I can get the parts myself much cheaper than what they'll charge, and save the expense of the labor by doing the comp R&R and accumulator myself. I haven't found an AC shop yet, and yes, it worries me that I may not find one that is honest and trustworthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 The compressor R&R isn't that bad of a job. The only lines you would be disconnecting would be the manifold block at the back of the compressor - that is usually just one bolt. I would have universal joints and assorted extensions handy though. You will need to drain the old oil out of the old compressor - measure the quantity and if there is 1 oz. or less, add two ozs. of PAG-150 oil o the suction port of the new compressor. If more than one oz. comes out, add the same amount to the new compressor. R-134a compressors are typically shipped dry as the oil is hydroscopic. If the unit you buy has oil in it, drain it and add back the amount based on what you drain out of the old compressor. Most compressors come with new washers for the manifold fitting - if they don't , they are available at most decent auto parts stores. As joeb said, the compressor won't engage without a refrigerant charge. Thanks Kevin! So after I take it to an AC shop and have the refridgerant evacuuated, there will be oil left in the compressor. Will that oil be the only oil that will be added back to the system, no other oil necessary when they do the recharge? How can I identify which side is the suction side on the new compressor? How much would be a fair price to pay to have my system evacuuated and recharged? Should I also change out my accumulator/drier, and orifice tube? If so, do those normally come with the necessary O rings? Don't reuse the oil from the old compressor - just measure the quantity that is drained out of the old compressor and then add new oil per the guidelines in my earlier post to the suction port. The suction and discharge ports are where the refrigerant lines hook up at the back of the compressor. Follow the line between the accumulator to the compressor - that is the suction side. Add the oil to the suction side and you may need to turn the clutch (in the normal operating direction as if it were in use on the car) to get it to pull in the oil depending on how much you need to add. If you turn the clutch the wrong way, you'll know it...oil will squirt out the port. Now, the system should have the proper oil charge - no need to add additional oil when it is evacuated and recharged. You're just replacing the compressor due to the broken shaft right? If so, you don't need to change the accumulator or oricife tube - it will be fine - just seal up the compressor connections so the system isn't opened to the atmosphere for any length of time while you are R&Ring the compressor - I use two rubber cork stoppers inserted into the lines. It is hard to say how much a shop will charge to recover the refrgerant - most of them should give you a credit for the refrigerant recovered. The recovery process is about 30 minutes or less. Evacuating and charging the system will run about 1 hour of labor. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 How much R-134a does my car take, and what's the going rate per lb these days? Can the Page-150 oil be bought in small quantities and how much does that typically costs? The reason I ask is the guy/so-called friend who replaced the compressor on my minivan stated he had to buy an oil that was expensive ($50 maybe?)...maybe he had to buy a large quantity, not sure. Maybe I bought oil for his next 50 customers...LOL. Btw, with that minivan, the air is not as cold as it used to be. Could it just need a shot of freon? I know that's a dumb question, along with all my other dumb questions, but thought I'd ask while were talking AC. That was 2-3 years ago and I realize guages would need to be utilized to determine that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 most cars have an a/c sticker that usually lists freon amount and sometimes the oil used. 2lbs is about average for most cars. i used to work for a place that made refrigeration units so we had all the equipment in the r&d lab. evac pumps, reclaim machines, gauges, hoses, you name it. we had 2000# cylinders of R12 and 134a out in the production area. ahh, those were the days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted June 17, 2006 Report Share Posted June 17, 2006 A few questions if you don't mind: 1. How hard is it to R&R the compressor, are the fittings hard to get to? 2. Will regular wrenches get the lines off ok or do I need to use line wrenches? 3. Will the new/rebuilt ACDelco compressor come with the O rings I'll need to do the swap, or will I need to buy those? 4. Will I need to add oil to the compressor before installing, or do they normaly come with the oil in there already? 5. Is it ok to drive it with the new compressor in place, but without a charge? I will need to drive it to an AC shop to have it charged. If I don't get it charged right away, will I risk damaging the compressor by driving the car? Thanks! 1) I removed the oil filter adapter to get at the rear bracket better and to get at the fitting block at the rear. If you pull the oil filter adapter have new o-rings for the reinstall 2) Regular wrenches, sockets, extensions and universals, use 3/8" drive, 3) The AC Delco will come with the seals for the block at the rear of the compressor, you can order an o-ring assortment for your car from acsource.com 4), you will, I will leave this to Kevin, it is also explained in the manual. 5) You can, but if you put in a new accumulator don't hook it up or install it, until you are ready to charge it leave the old accumulator in until you are about to charge it. dont leave any lines open as you will introduce dirt. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 How much R-134a does my car take, and what's the going rate per lb these days? Can the Page-150 oil be bought in small quantities and how much does that typically costs? The reason I ask is the guy/so-called friend who replaced the compressor on my minivan stated he had to buy an oil that was expensive ($50 maybe?)...maybe he had to buy a large quantity, not sure. Maybe I bought oil for his next 50 customers...LOL. Btw, with that minivan, the air is not as cold as it used to be. Could it just need a shot of freon? I know that's a dumb question, along with all my other dumb questions, but thought I'd ask while were talking AC. That was 2-3 years ago and I realize guages would need to be utilized to determine that. The label on the accumulator ahould state the capacity of R-134a - It is most likely 2.0 lbs. R134a has actually come down in price - last year, it was approaching the cost of R-12... The 12oz. cans are in the $6-$7 price range. A shop will buy it in 30 lb. cylinders as it is much easier for them and it is cheaper than the 12oz. cans. The shop's cost on the R-134a is about $4.50 per pound. You can buy the oil at any auto parts store - it is usually in 8 or 12 oz. metal cans. It will state "High Viscosity" on the label which is what the GM systems take (150 viscosity). That size bottle is about $8 - $10. Sounds like the minivan needs a top off of refrigerant to restore the cooling performance. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Thanks Kevin, Mike and Joeb! Like always, you guys are GREAT! I appreciate your responses and help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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