How do you change an A/C compressor?

[Atreus21]

My 98 Camaro's compressor is busted. Anybody ever changed one?

[cam98aro]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

yeah, i just changed mine this weekend, what do you need to know?

[cam98aro]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

hm, well reading the thread title, i will try to help you a bit, and tell you how i did mine

first make sure the ac lines are empty and there is no pressure, then jack the car up and take your belt off.

after that you are going to need to take the three bolts off of the front of the compressor

get underneath your car and on the back of the compressor you will see a bracket that holds it, leave the bracket bolted to the engine, and take the bolts that holds the compressor on, off.

after that you just need to take the bolt that holds the AC lines off and your compressor will come out

[Atreus21]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

hm, well reading the thread title, i will try to help you a bit, and tell you how i did mine

first make sure the ac lines are empty and there is no pressure, then jack the car up and take your belt off.

after that you are going to need to take the three bolts off of the front of the compressor

get underneath your car and on the back of the compressor you will see a bracket that holds it, leave the bracket bolted to the engine, and take the bolts that holds the compressor on, off.

after that you just need to take the bolt that holds the AC lines off and your compressor will come out

I've never evacuated an AC line, and I've never refilled them either. That's my main concern.

You see, I could buy a compressor for $315, or have someone do it for $1200. That's why I'm investigating this. Is dealing with refrigerant dangerous?

[dgreet77]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

refrigerant isn't really dangerous, just cold. haha. and evacuating an AC line is fairly easy...I haven't done it on my car, but i've done plenty of others...two caps on AC lines...(doing this from memory so I may not get it all quite right)....at least one (i think both) look like a valve stem on a tire....same principal...get something rigid and push it in...it will let all the refrigerant out...gets real cold so wrap whatever you use in a rag or something, then just hold it until its all out. as far as recharging it i think they sell a kit with little cans of R-134A...(98% positive our cars use this, could be R-12)....or you could just have a shop recharge it...shouldn't cost too much...

[youngsc]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

^bad way of doing it^ I've done it that way but dammit at the minimum pay someone to evacuate it for you. From there it's no big deal, instructions for refilling are right on the can just make sure you don't put it in the wrong side high/low (can't remember which now). Seriously though I'm not a tree hugger but just spring to have someone evacuate it and dispose of it properly.

[cam98aro]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

I've never evacuated an AC line, and I've never refilled them either. That's my main concern.

You see, I could buy a compressor for $315, or have someone do it for $1200. That's why I'm investigating this. Is dealing with refrigerant dangerous?

no, its not dangerous, but you should have a shop properly take the refrigerant out (although they probably just do that dgreet said.

why are you changing the compressor by the way?

and there is NO WAY it would be worth paying $1200 for someone to do that.. once you do it yourself you will realize how simple it is, and want to kick yourself for even thinking of taking it to a shop

refrigerant isn't really dangerous, just cold. haha. and evacuating an AC line is fairly easy...I haven't done it on my car, but i've done plenty of others...two caps on AC lines...(doing this from memory so I may not get it all quite right)....at least one (i think both) look like a valve stem on a tire....same principal...get something rigid and push it in...it will let all the refrigerant out...gets real cold so wrap whatever you use in a rag or something, then just hold it until its all out. as far as recharging it i think they sell a kit with little cans of R-134A...(98% positive our cars use this, could be R-12)....or you could just have a shop recharge it...shouldn't cost too much...

you are correct, our cars use R-134a, you can buy a kit to recharge your system at any parts store

there is two sides to the ac system, the high and low sides.

im not sure which is which, but there is a cap on the receiver/dryer which is the one you recharge the system with, and there is another in front of the radiator, they both have black caps on them.

i used one of these kits to recharge my car after i installed my compressor, and my ac comes out just as cold as my fathers car, which has never had any ac work done to it, he said it may even be a bit colder

[cam98aro]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

^bad way of doing it^ I've done it that way but dammit at the minimum pay someone to evacuate it for you. From there it's no big deal, instructions for refilling are right on the can just make sure you don't put it in the wrong side high/low (can't remember which now). Seriously though I'm not a tree hugger but just spring to have someone evacuate it and dispose of it properly.

it is pretty much impossible to recharge the wrong side, the fittings are different sizes and the kit will only fit on the smaller one, which is on the receiver/dryer

[youngsc]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

it is pretty much impossible to recharge the wrong side, the fittings are different sizes and the kit will only fit on the smaller one, which is on the receiver/dryer

Good to know, the last car I did it on was about 10 years ago so I'm sure with enough lost faces they figured out to make it that way. Thanks for correcting.

[dgreet77]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

tell the truth i didn't really even know there was a "proper way" of disposing of refrigerant, or how somebody would even collect the stuff..(special refrigerant evacuating/collecting tool)....i thought thats why freon went away and this R-whatever stuff came out...so if the environment is a concern for you...then don't do it the way i do it...easy as that....and cam98aro thanks for clearing up anything i muddled

[Blizzard242]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

Yeah def don't let a shop change it for you when it's honestly really easy. I don't know if there's a special fill procedure after you install the new compressor but if there isn't this stuff is easy as hell.

[cam98aro]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

Good to know, the last car I did it on was about 10 years ago so I'm sure with enough lost faces they figured out to make it that way. Thanks for correcting.

it MAY be different on the older R-12 cars, but i know on the R134a they are different sizes

tell the truth i didn't really even know there was a "proper way" of disposing of refrigerant, or how somebody would even collect the stuff..(special refrigerant evacuating/collecting tool)....i thought thats why freon went away and this R-whatever stuff came out...so if the environment is a concern for you...then don't do it the way i do it...easy as that....and cam98aro thanks for clearing up anything i muddled

yes, the proper way to do it is vacuum the old stuff out, and put a vacuum in the lines, then recharge the system after you do that

the older systems used R12 which is the "freon" you are talking about, they stopped using it because it was dangerous to the ozone layer or something like that

[youngsc]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

R12 on the high side I think it was meant boom in your face. Imagine freon under extreme pressure, kinda like a spray paint can in a fire. It's cool if your not standing over it.

[dgreet77]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

i thought freon and R-12 were different...mainly because i thought you could still get R-12 but not freon....i could be wrong...the whole freon thing...thats getting to be back when i was just a little guy when they changed that out...haha....and I know freon was supposed to be kinda nasty...thats why it went the way of the dinosaur...and i now i know about the proper way, so thanks for the quick lesson...

[cam98aro]

Re: How do you change an A/C compressor?

i thought freon and R-12 were different...mainly because i thought you could still get R-12 but not freon....i could be wrong...the whole freon thing...thats getting to be back when i was just a little guy when they changed that out...haha....and I know freon was supposed to be kinda nasty...thats why it went the way of the dinosaur...and i now i know about the proper way, so thanks for the quick lesson...

freon is R-12 and R-134a

R-12 has just been phased out

i remember about 5 years ago me and my father recharged out old car with R-12

i kinda wish we didnt do that, because it would be nice to still have the can

and all of the freon leaked out after a few weeks.. oops