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  #1  
Old 07-22-2002, 10:39 PM
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Rebuild AC compressors

How do you guys feel about these? Are they reliable? Do you know of any places you would recommend getting a rebuild from? I priced out a new compressor from suby today for the tune of $850 + install. I was hoping to get the whole thing done for about the $700 range. Is this possible, should I just live with 100 degree weather and no AC?
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  #2  
Old 07-23-2002, 06:15 PM
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Can't speak to long term reliability yet, but I bought a rebuilt unit from this place...

www.airpartsonline.com

Couldn't afford new as I had just done the rebuilt tranny thing. Anyway, the part was shipped quickly, they refunded the core promptly, rebuilt unit looked like new. Been working for about 2k miles now - I live in warm, humid east central florida, so it's been "on" all of those miles. Price was 314.24 (with shipping to FLA) plus a $60 core charge.

Also sourced a drier for less than $50 from a chain, Discount Auto Parts, not sure if that's a nation-wide chain though.

I get to use the auto hobby shop at the Air Force Base (I work there), so I got the staff to pull the system down, swapped the compressor out myself in about 30 minutes, then they pumped it back down before filling it up with 134, all for $25. You'll also need a few ounces of oil (I got it donated, but that should be no more than 5 or 6 bucks). The swap is straight forward using (I think) only three sizes of sockets/wrenches. Pull off the hoses, disconect wires, loosen the belt idler (belt doesn't have to come off, and pull a couple of mounting bolts - yank it out, install by reversing the above. If you want to try it yourself , I'll go check the details.

All total, I spent slightly less than $400, even without you doing any work, it should be around $500 - IF you find a place that will let you bring in the parts (usually means they provide no warranty).
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Old 07-23-2002, 09:41 PM
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Sounds good. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if they have one. How long did you have to wait to get the compressor?

I will probably take it to a shop to get it installed. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, but I don't have access to any of the tools required to drain/fill the system. $500 is more than reasonable if I can get it done for that.

Thanks!
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Old 07-24-2002, 06:20 AM
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the compressor came in three days.

I would caution that before ordering you make sure the shop will do the job with your parts - many won't and there's an overall business financial reason (they rely on profit from both labor and parts to keep the doors open), as well as warranty considerations.
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Old 07-24-2002, 08:55 AM
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Oh absolutely, I have already talked to them before. They quoted me exactly what subaru did for the compressor with no markup. This is part of the reason I go with them, they are one of the smaller family shops that actually try to keep their customers coming back.

Either way, thanks for the help, hopefully I will be enjoying cool air again soon.
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  #6  
Old 07-25-2002, 07:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by lee
You'll also need a few ounces of oil (I got it donated, but that should be no more than 5 or 6 bucks)
Is there a way to check the oil level in the a/c compressor? Is that bolt up on the side that has to come out?
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Old 07-25-2002, 09:04 AM
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Well called and placed my order for the compressor. Total cost was $253.14 + shipping (compared to almost $800 at suby new). Bought the dryer at my local NAPA for $53. Going to have that shop do the work for me, called them and they were happy to do the work even if I provide the parts. Hopefully by next week I'll have some AC again. Wooo.
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  #8  
Old 07-25-2002, 01:51 PM
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svx_commuter...

I don't know of any way of reliably checking oil level. If the system did NOT have a rupture, and reliably worked sometime in the past, then I would follow the manual for oil replacement. It calls for running the system for a few minutes to distribute the oil, then adding 2.4 oz (US) when changing out the compressor (zero for the drier, other parts vary in quantity).

If there was a rupture where oil may have blown out with the freon, then all I could suggest would be to drain the compressor, condensor and evaporator and start anew. A pro (I'm an amateur) would have better advice I'm sure.
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Old 08-11-2002, 03:35 PM
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WHAT A HASSLE!

Well I can't decide if I would recommend these guys to anyone at this point.

Looking at my post, I ordered my compressor on July 25th, here it is Aug 11th and I still don't have it.

I called on the 31st to see where it was (supposed to be 3-4 day shipping). I found out that they completely lost my order, and hadn't even shipped it. I figure this isn't a big deal, mistakes happen, and figured in less than a week I'll have my part. I called again on the 9th, wondering, where is my part again?

They said it did in deed ship out on the 31th, but of course I didn't get it. So I ask them to send me the tracking number, which I was told would take a hour or two as they dug it up in the mound of paperwork I could imaging hiding under some poor slob's desk.

I wait, and of course I'm quite busy at work and can't call them asking for it again by the end of the day. So the next day I went and called again, they assured me that it had been delivered, of course they didn't have the tracking number for me. So I actually called up UPS myself, as they are obviously incompetant. UPS informed me that it had been delivered, but that they had given them the wrong address to ship it to. So the package was sitting at the main UPS depot about to get shipped back to them.

So I went down on my lunch hour, and picked up my part. Took out the packing slip, and said to myself "Why did I get charged $70 more than I was quoted?!?!?"

I checked my credit card statement online, and sure enough the amount was what the invoice said, quite a bit more than I was told. I call them up once again, and they told me that they would have to talk to their manager about why this was the case, and he would contact me.

Later in the day, I get an email from the owner, explaining that the part I recieved was for a 94-97 SVX and that was the cost of the part. He said that when I called back on the 31st asking where my part was, that I had told him that I had a 95 SVX all of a sudden.

Of course, as braindead as I can be at work sometimes... .... I know what year my dang car is, and wouldn't tell him that. So I tell him that its obvious the guy on the phone that I talked to "Dave", wrote my order down wrong at some point in the process and got me the wrong part.

So anyways, after having a 30min yell session with these guys at work, they finally agreed to ship me out the correct part for free, and credit my credit card back the error. (well no $hit guys, seems like the right thing to do).

Either way, on Monday they are supposed to send UPS out here to pick up this AC compressor, and ship me out the correct one. Hopefully nothing will go wrong this time.................




ANYWAYS....enough jabbering on. I actually have a question about this whole process of replacing the compressor. I am going to take it into a local shop, which said they would be happy to do the work for me. However, they asked if I still needed the old style refrigerant (I'm thinking R12), or if I had a newer system. They told me that the old stuff is about $75 / lbs of coolant. I had Subaru recharge my system last year for a total cost of $150, so I'm thinking that my system must be using the newer stuff (R143a??). Is there any special parts that are needed to make it use the newer coolant?

Thanks,
Ryan
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  #10  
Old 08-11-2002, 04:06 PM
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Do a little searching, I beleive that there is a drop in replacement for R12 that doesn't require the retrofit (and worse performance) of the R134a.

I think it is called R12a and doesn't require you to change any parts for the conversion.

I'm not an expert, just remembering a past thread. Be careful of shops looking to charge you for a 134a conversion kit without giving you options.



Doug
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  #11  
Old 08-13-2002, 06:33 PM
lee lee is offline
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nvrmore100

From your description of trouble I'm sorry I gave you their website address - maybe I just had blind luck.

As to R12 or R134. If the system was changed to R134, they SHOULD have changed fittings (each type of refrigerant is suppsed to have a unique fitting) AND they SHOULD have put a label under the hood so stating - maybe on the rail with the black label that came from the factory - in front of the radiator. Look around, although by Federal regulation it is supposed to be placed prominently.

As to special parts, there are retro-fit kits. I think all new driers are compatible with both R12 and R134, as are the compressors. The hoses don't need replacement (as they used to think) because the mineral oil/R12 is believed over time to have sufficiently penetrated to have sealed the hoses/seals to 134. The issue was that old style hoses/seals had molecules far enough apart that 134, being molecularly smaller, would leak. The only issue I know of is possibly one with the oil in the system - and I'm not a pro, at best a talented parts changer - so I don't want to steer you wrong - but I don't think 134 is not compatible with the mineral oil used in R12 & I don't know how that gets "fixed". If yours is still on R12, and still has all its freon (no leaks, just worn compressor) your shop should pull it all out, then simply put it back for no net $$ in freon charges.
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  #12  
Old 08-13-2002, 09:01 PM
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All the freon has leaked out. The dealer was going to recharge, but the seals are so bad it won't hold a charge now.

As a new twist on the story, now they can't even get me one for a 92....
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